National Growth Policy: Notes on the Federal Role

Generally, four trends can be identified which appear to be focal points of proposals for a national growth policy: population decline in most rural areas, continuing growth of suburban areas resulting in urban sprawl, increasing concentration of population in megalopolises and abandonment of residential areas in inner parts of many central cities

2-(1,4-Dioxo-1,4-dihydro-2-naphthyl)-2-methylpropanoic acid

The sterically crowded title compound, C₁₄H₁₂O₄, crystallizes as centrosymmetric hydrogen-bonded dimers involving the carboxyl groups. The naphthoquinone ring system is folded by 11.5 (1)° about a vector joining the 1,4-C atoms, and the quinone O atoms are displaced from the ring plane, presumably because of steric interactions with the bulky substituent

Electrostatic Field Classifier for Deficient Data

This paper investigates the suitability of recently developed models based on the physical field phenomena for classification problems with incomplete datasets. An original approach to exploiting incomplete training data with missing features and labels, involving extensive use of electrostatic charge analogy, has been proposed. Classification of incomplete patterns has been investigated using a local dimensionality reduction technique, which aims at exploiting all available information rather than trying to estimate the missing values. The performance of all proposed methods has been tested on a number of benchmark datasets for a wide range of missing data scenarios and compared to the performance of some standard techniques. Several modifications of the original electrostatic field classifier aiming at improving speed and robustness in higher dimensional spaces are also discussed

Effective crustal permeability controls fault evolution: An integrated structural, mineralogical and isotopic study in granitic gneiss, Monte Rosa, Northern Italy

Two dextral faults within granitic gneiss in the Monte Rosa nappe, northern Italy reveal key differences in their evolution controlled by evolving permeability and water/rock reactions. The comparison reveals that identical host rock lithologies develop radically different mineralogies within the fault zones, resulting in fundamentally different deformation histories. Oxygen and hydrogen isotope analyses coupled to microstructural characterisation show that infiltration of meteoric water occurred into both fault zones. The smaller Virgin Fault shows evidence of periodic closed system behaviour, which promoted the growth of hydrothermal K-feldspar, whilst the more open system behaviour of the adjacent Ciao Ciao Fault generated a weaker muscovite-rich fault core, which promoted a step change in fault evolution. Effective crustal permeability is a vital control on fault evolution and, coupled to the temperature (i.e. depth) at which key mineral transformations occur, is probably a more significant factor than host rock strength in controlling fault development. The study suggests that whether a fault in granitic basement grows into a large structure may be largely controlled by the initial hydrological properties of the host rocks. Small faults exposed at the surface may therefore be evolutionary “dead-ends” that typically do not represent the early stages in the development of larger faults

Facility dogs as a tool for building rapport and credibility with child witnesses

The present student examined the perspectives of legal professionals in relation to the use of facility dogs in building rapport and credibility with child witnesses. 70 legal professionals from across North America, who had experience interviewing children, both with and without the use of a facility dog, were recruited to take part in the study. Utilising a holistic mixed-method design, data was collected via an online questionnaire, which asked participants about the impact they felt a facility dog had on rapport and witness credibility during police interviews with children. The results highlighted the positive impact that facility dogs have on child witnesses, not only in helping build rapport and witness credibility, but also for creating a more positive experience for young witnesses going through the criminal justice process. The results therefore provide evidence for the consideration of these dogs in countries beyond North America, as they provide an invaluable service to young witnesses

Exploring the impact of specially trained dogs on the court experiences of survivors of sexual offending in England and Wales: an exploratory case study

The current research explored the impact of specially trained dogs on the experiences of survivors of sexual offending in an English and Welsh court environment. In total, five cases of survivors of sexual offences were provided with a specially trained dog during court proceedings. In each case, data were collected from several sources, including interviews, observations and various documentations. Using a thorough multiple case study design, data were analysed both within and across each case to identify any individual and thematic patterns. The within-case analysis found that the dog aided survivors in becoming calmer and less anxious. The across-case analysis indicated five reoccurring themes pertaining to the survivor: (1) Impact of court context, (2) Emotional impact of dog on survivors, (3) Physical impact of dog on survivors, (4) Change in anchoring due to presence of the dog, (5) The uniqueness of a dog as a companion. The findings also highlighted important considerations when utilising such services to support survivors at court. Overall, these results identified a large amount of benefits to not only the survivors, but also their families and other supporting individuals, providing the first global evaluation of such service for survivors of sexual offending which should aid in considering the introduction of this service internationally. It is thus recommended that the Criminal Justice System in England and Wales explores the use of this service further

The use of facility dogs to bridge the justice gap for survivors of sexual offending

The current study investigated the support that a facility dog can provide to survivors of sexual crimes when undergoing video-recorded police interviews. In total, 13 survivors of sexual offences, who were undergoing a video-recorded interview, were provided with a facility dog for the interview process. For each case, data were collected via interviews, observations and surveys. Using a multiple case study approach, qualitative data were analysed to identify patterns, with observational and survey data used to provide further support to these outcomes. A total of four main themes emerged from the data: (1) a change in focus for the survivor, (2) a difference in the survivors’ engagement, (3) the dog as a comforter to keep the survivor calm and (4) a positive environment. Overall, the findings suggest that the facility dog provided a much needed and beneficial service to survivors, helping them feel calmer and more comfortable. The dog also provided survivors with a more positive environment, allowing them to focus on the interview and communicate more openly about their experiences. The current study, therefore, presents very positive findings relating to improving survivors’ perspectives of justice within the framework of kaleidoscopic justice, bridging their perceived justice gap