Landscapes of violence: women surviving family violence in regional and rural Victoria

In this research, family violence survivors have identified issues and barriers they have encountered, and have provided suggestions in regards to how both the criminal justice system and the broader Victorian community might assist survivors and help prevent family violence. Overview This project combines the findings of two studies undertaken by the Centre for Rural and Regional Law and Justice. Drawing on and extending the findings in Women\u27s experience of surviving family violence and accessing the Magistrate\u27s court in Geelong, Victoria (2013), this report extends the research in terms of geographic areas, issues covered and range of participants. It examines the experiences of, and outcomes for, women survivors of family violence in regional and rural Victoria, considering their contact with, and perceptions of, government agencies (including Victoria Police, the Victorian Magistrate\u27s courts and the Department of Human Services) as well as private and community advocates (legal services, women\u27s services and family violence services) and healthcare professionals. Through this research, survivors have identified issues and barriers they have encountered in escaping family violence, and have provided suggestions in regards to how both the criminal justice system and the broader Victorian community might assist survivors and help prevent family violence. As well as being informed by survivors, this publication includes insights provided by government and non-government practitioners and organisations who have offered their views on this report\u27s key findings and recommendations. In addition to the generous contributions of these participants, this report utilises relevant data and emerging research in an effort to identify best practice responses to family violence; improve access to justice, support and safety; and protect and promote women\u27s rights and entitlements

‘Ecstasy’ and the use of sleep medications in a general community sample: a four-year follow-up

Aims: Animal models show that a single dose of MDMA (‘ecstasy’) can result in long-term disruption of sleep. We evaluated the relationship between ecstasy consumption and the use of sleep medications in humans after controlling for key factors. Design: The Personality and Total Health Through Life project uses a longitudinal cohort with follow-up every four years. This study reports data from waves two and three. Setting: Participants were recruited from the electoral roll in the Australian Capital Territory and Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia. Participants: Participants were aged 20-24 years at wave one (1999-2000). Measures: The study collected self-reported data on ecstasy, meth/amphetamine, cannabis, alcohol, tobacco and use of sleeping medications (pharmaceutical or other substances). Depression was categorised with the Brief Patient Health Questionnaire (BPHQ). Other psychosocial measures included lifetime traumas. We used generalised estimating equations to model outcomes. Results: Ecstasy data were available from 2128 people at wave two and 1977 at wave three: sleeping medication use was reported by 227 (10.7%) respondents at wave two and 239 (12.1%) at wave three. Increased odds ratios (OR) for sleeping medication use was found for those with depression (OR=1.88, (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.39, 2.53), women (OR=1.44, 95% CI 1.13, 1.84), and increased by 19% for each lifetime trauma. Ecstasy use was not a significant predictor, but >monthly versus never meth/amphetamine use increased the odds (OR=3.03, 95% CI 1.30, 7.03). Conclusion: The use of ecstasy was not associated with the use of sleeping medications controlling for other risk factors.The PATH study was supported by an NHMRC Program Grant 179805 and NHMRC Project Grant 157125. The sponsors had no role in the design, conduct or reporting of the research. None of the authors have connections (direct or indirect) with the tobacco, alcohol, pharmaceutical or gaming industries or any body substantially funded by one of these organisations

Making an Inherently Dangerous Profession Safer: New Ambulance Designs

Current ambulance patient compartment designs have proven dangerous to paramedics during patient transport. Currently, there are no set safety standards for patient compartments of ambulances. This study focused on three fire protection districts: Coal City, Wilmington, and Elwood; each identified that the current ambulance design is very dangerous for paramedics in a crash, particularly concerning usage of seat belts and dangers of the side-facing CPR seat and bench seat. Each fire district addressed these issues with new ambulance designs. The mixed methods research began with observations recorded from riding with paramedics on actual calls on both the old and new ambulances and then conducting follow-up interviews to examine paramedics’ current practices, seat belt usage, and seating preference. The study concluded with a survey asking paramedics about seating preference and seat belt usage on both ambulances. This research revealed that most paramedics understand threats to their personal safety and view safer changes positively. However, along with safer ambulance designs, cultural and attitude changes are necessary as well. Future research should continue to focus on seat and restraint designs that allow paramedics to perform job skills and keep them safe in a collision

The analysis of Erlanger Hospital’s suture inventory management operations

This paper evaluates the impact of using mechanical engineering and operations management principles to an inventory management system in Erlanger Hospital. Erlanger Hospital is a local, nonprofit hospital system in Chattanooga. Erlanger serves as a tertiary referral hospital and a Level I Trauma Center in the region. Therefore, they are heavily depended on during times of crisis or emergency [2]. This study focuses specifically on reducing the loss and ultimate waste of sutures across Erlanger’s surgery wing. A criteria for the appraisal of using mechanical and manufacturing engineering to improve the current system is established based on existing data regarding the stock of sutures in the surgery wing. The current system is analyzed and evaluated for potential opportunities to reduce the number sutures wasted, thus saving money and time for the hospital. The results of this study are summarized in a white paper for customer use

Parent-Trainee Experiences of Child and Mental Health Training: an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Aims: Research examining the process of clinical psychology training has essentially focused on the outsider perspective and given little consideration of the trainee’s lived experience. Using qualitative methodology this project aims to listen and privilege personal narratives of individuals who occupy the role of trainee clinical psychologist and parent simultaneously during CAMHS training (i.e. placement and associated teaching) in order to increase awareness of the challenges and existing resources of this population. Method: Six parent-trainees were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. Transcripts were individually analysed using methodology drawn from Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA; Smith, 1996a) to identify emergent themes and complete cross-case analysis. Results: This study demonstrates how the occupancy of a parental role during Child and Adolescent Mental Health training has significant implications for individual trainees within both their professional and parental role. The three main themes emerging from the study are: i) A changed Identity: seeing and being seen in a different light ii) A journey from dependency towards autonomy and iii). Cutting the cord doesn’t destroy the bond: The inseparable nature of the parental and professional self. Implications: This study highlights the significant impact that the occupancy of a parental role may have in the experience of a trainee clinical psychologist’s CAMHS training, and how such findings may have been overlooked in the available literature base. Findings suggest that to optimise professional and personal wellbeing and minimise potential for compromised professional conduct the impact of the relationship between parent-trainees’ personal and professional self needs to be widely recognised by individual parent-trainees, training providers and the wider context of clinical psychology. The results from this study may also have wider implications for the ethical practice of those occupying any dual role in the training context as well as the broader field of therapeutic work

The blackness of the cosmic microwave background spectrum as a probe of the distance-duality relation

A violation of the reciprocity relation, which induces a violation of the distance duality relation, reflects itself in a change in the normalisation of the cosmic microwave spectrum in such a way that its spectrum is grey. We show that existing observational constraints imply that the reciprocity relation cannot be violated by more than 0.01% between decoupling and today. We compare this effect to other sources of violation of the distance duality relations which induce spectral distortion of the cosmic microwave background spectrum.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, references added, minor typos correcte

Scaling limits and fluctuations for random growth under capacity rescaling

We evaluate a strongly regularised version of the Hastings-Levitov model HL$(\alpha)$ for $0\leq \alpha<2$. Previous results have concentrated on the small-particle limit where the size of the attaching particle approaches zero in the limit. However, we consider the case where we rescale the whole cluster by its capacity before taking limits, whilst keeping the particle size fixed. We first consider the case where $\alpha=0$ and show that under capacity rescaling, the limiting structure of the cluster is not a disk, unlike in the small-particle limit. Then we consider the case where $0<\alpha<2$ and show that under the same rescaling the cluster approaches a disk. We also evaluate the fluctuations and show that, when represented as a holomorphic function, they behave like a Gaussian field dependent on $\alpha$. Furthermore, this field becomes degenerate as $\alpha$ approaches 0 and 2, suggesting the existence of phase transitions at these values

Scaling limits of anisotropic growth on logarithmic time-scales

We study the anisotropic version of the Hastings-Levitov model AHL$(\nu)$. Previous results have shown that on bounded time-scales the harmonic measure on the boundary of the cluster converges, in the small-particle limit, to the solution of a deterministic ordinary differential equation. We consider the evolution of the harmonic measure on time-scales which grow logarithmically as the particle size converges to zero and show that, over this time-scale, the leading order behaviour of the harmonic measure becomes random. Specifically, we show that there exists a critical logarithmic time window in which the harmonic measure flow, started from the unstable fixed point, moves stochastically from the unstable point towards a stable fixed point, and we show that the full trajectory can be characterised in terms of a single Gaussian random variable.Comment: 29 pages, 5 figure

Screening with young offenders with an intellectual disability

The research suggests that young offenders with an intellectual disability (ID) may not always be identified within youth justice services. This pilot study assessed some aspects of the validity of a screening tool, the Child and Adolescent Intellectual Disability Screening Questionnaire (CAIDS-Q), in UK forensic settings, using data from 23 individuals. The CAIDS-Q had positive and negative predictive power of 100%. In addition, a significant difference was found in CAIDS-Q scores between those with and without an ID, with the latter group scoring significantly higher, indicating discriminative validity. A significant positive relationship was found between full-scale IQ and CAIDS-Q scores, indicating convergent validity. The pilot study suggested that the CAIDS-Q may represent a valid screening tool to identify those young offenders who are likely to have an ID. Limitations and implications of the pilot are discussed