The Cultivation Effects of Serial and Mass Murder on Homicide Investigators

Research has indicated over the course of decades that media has an effect on the perception of crime and criminality. Since Gerbner’s inception of the cultivation theory, the effects of mass media have been studied and validated, causing viewers to be influenced in their perception of crime and criminality to believe it is more severe than it really is, more prevalent than it really is, and there are more instances of serial and mass murder than there really are. Within true crime presentations representations, the personality, modus operandi, motivations, and descriptions of serial and mass murderers is presented outside of known facts and, at least partially, fictionalized and indicate that the perception of serial and mass murder by viewers of true crime media is skewed. There is a distinct gap in the research as applied to the effects of true crime media on specific populations. The research questions addressed in this study centered around determining the misconceptions in a type of true crime media regarding serial and mass murderers and assessed a population of 41 homicide investigators and the cultivation effect on their approach to investigations through a series of surveys. The surveys were developed from the narrative analysis of media and the results were analyzed in regard to media misinformation. The proliferation of misinformation is of vital social significance, and the results of the study show that there is an effect on the perception of serial and mass murder due to true crime media wherein law enforcement professionals largely believe in the myths and stereotypes reinforced by the media presentations. Findings of this study may be used by law enforcement administration to better educate professionals and the public as to the effect that true crime media could have on homicide investigation

Using The Jeopardy Game To Enhance Student Understanding Of Accounting Information Systems (AIS) Exam Material

Accounting research has included many suggestions for increasing active learning in the classroom. These include journal writing, role-playing and playing games (Haywood, McMullen, and Wygal 2004). The use of games in class is an effective tool to stimulate interest, reduce boredom, and enhance learning among the students. The popular TV game show “Jeopardy!” was employed to review students for an undergraduate accounting information systems (AIS) exam. Pre/post test results reflect a significant increase in the students’ understanding of AIS exam material that was covered. Overall the students agreed that the game was enjoyable and requested that they be able to review for other exams in a similar manner

Price Endogeneity and Marginal Cost Effects on Incentive Compatible Stormwater Management Policies

Incentive based stormwater management policies offer the prospect of reducing urban stormwater runoff while increasing developer profits. An incentive compatible Stormwater Banking Program (SBP) is presented that allows developers to build at higher residential densities in exchange for including low impact stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) in the development’s stormwater management infrastructure. Price endogeneity presents itself when the smaller residential lots created by building at a greater density sell for a lower price than the original, larger lots. Stormwater management authorities must be aware of this and the effects of the program participation fee structure in designing voluntary incentive based policies that meet runoff reduction objectives.Farm Management,

Incentive Policies to Promote the Use of Enhanced Stormwater BMPs in New Residential Developments

A voluntary stormwater management program that is incentive compatible between residential developers and regulators produces an outcome that simultaneously protects/enhances water quality and increases developer profits. Developers pay a participation fee and the collected fees are used to retrofit ineffective stormwater management systems in older neighborhoods to improve water quality.Stormwater Best Management Practices, Economic Incentives, Urban Water Quality, Environmental Economics and Policy, Q25,

Aiming Higher: Results from a Scorecard on State Health System Performance, 2015 Edition

The fourth Commonwealth Fund Scorecard on State Health System Performance tells a story that is both familiar and new. Echoing the past three State Scorecards, the 2015 edition finds extensive variation among states in people's ability to access care when they need it, the quality of care they receive, and their likelihood of living a long and healthy life. However, this Scorecard—the first to measure the effects of the Affordable Care Act's 2014 coverage expansions—also finds broad-based improvements. On most of the 42 indicators, more states improved than worsened. By tracking performance measures across states, this Scorecard can help policymakers, health system leaders, and the public identify opportunities and set goals for improvement. The 50 states and the District of Columbia are measured and ranked on 42 indicators grouped into five domains: access and affordability, prevention and treatment, avoidable hospital use and cost, healthy lives, and equity. Individual indicators measure things like rates of children or adults who are uninsured, hospital patients who get information about how to handle their recovery at home, hospital admissions for children with asthma, and breast and colorectal cancer deaths, among many others

2018 Scorecard on State Health System Performance

Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Vermont, and Utah are the top-ranked states according to the Commonwealth Fund's 2018 Scorecard on State Health System Performance, which assesses all 50 states and the District of Columbia on more than 40 measures of access to health care, quality of care, efficiency in care delivery, health outcomes, and income-based health care disparities.The 2018 Scorecard reveals that states are losing ground on key measures related to life expectancy. On most other measures, performance continues to vary widely across states; even within individual states, large disparities are common.Still, on balance, the Scorecard finds more improvement than decline between 2013 and 2016 in the functioning of state health care systems. This represents a reversal of sorts from the first decade of the century, when stagnating or worsening performance was the norm

Aiming Higher: Results from the Commonwealth Fund Scorecard on State Health System Performance, 2017 Edition

Issue: States are a locus of policy and leadership for health system performance.Goal: To compare and evaluate trends in health care access, quality, avoidable hospital use and costs, health outcomes, and health system equity across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.Methods: States are ranked on 44 performance measures using recently available data. Key findings: Nearly all states improved more than they worsened between 2013 and 2015. The biggest gains were in health insurance coverage and the ability to access care when needed, with states that had expanded their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act experiencing the most improvement. There were also widespread state improvements on key indicators of treatment quality and patient safety; hospital patient readmissions also fell in many states. However, premature deaths crept up in almost two-thirds of states, reversing a long period of decline. Wide variations in performance across states persisted, as did disparities experienced by vulnerable populations within states.Conclusion: If every state achieved the performance of top-ranked states, their residents and the country as a whole would realize dramatic gains in health care access, quality, efficiency, and health outcomes

Health System Performance for the High-Need Patient: A Look at Access to Care and Patient Care Experiences

Achieving a high-performing health system will require improving outcomes and reducing costs for high-need, high-cost patients—those who use the most health care services and account for a disproportionately large share of health care spending. Goal: To compare the health care experiences of adults with high needs—those with three or more chronic diseases and a functional limitation in the ability to care for themselves or perform routine daily tasks—to all adults and to those with multiple chronic diseases but no functional limitations. Methods: Analysis of data from the 2009–2011 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Key findings: High-need adults were more likely to report having an unmet medical need and less likely to report having good patient–provider communication. High-need adults reported roughly similar ease of obtaining specialist referrals as other adults and greater likelihood of having a medical home. While adults with private health insurance reported the fewest unmet needs overall, privately insured highneed adults reported the greatest difficulties having their needs met. Conclusion: The health care system needs to work better for the highest-need, most-complex patients. This study's findings highlight the importance of tailoring interventions to address their need