Safeguarding Data. The Data Consensus and the Public Good in Children's Social Services

Over the past decade, data-driven systems have transformed how UK public services engage with the population. This ethnographic study, conducted in one of the United Kingdom's poorest boroughs, investigates the implementation of a machine learning data system for identifying at-risk children in need of safeguarding. It examines the concept of a ‘data consensus’ amongst council workers pursuing the ‘public good’. Within this consensus, the article explores contrasting stances on data's potential, namely that of data scientists, who use it as a tool to predict human behaviour and prevent harm, and social workers, who resist the notion that a person is predictable and therefore incapable of change. This reveals the political implications of these opaque algorithmic systems as various groups harness data in the name of public benefit

Kiosks 21: a new role for information kiosks?

Discusses and analyses the latest generation of information kiosks, Kiosks 21, which features information provision/promotion, interaction, transaction and relationships. In contrast to their task based predecessors, these kiosks focus on customer service delivery to ‘customers in context’. Five case studies of such kiosks located respectively in an airport, railway station, car rental base, hotel lobby, and shopping mall are analysed to demonstrate the way in which the kiosks are implemented to meet the differing requirements of customers in different contexts. Case studies are analysed in terms of kiosk design and location, user profile, information architecture, interface design, communication, and commerce. A range of areas for research and development are proposed.</p

Host Modulation and the Inflammatory Response

Host modulation therapy may be effective in controlling the immune response responsible for periodontal diseases

HIV Testing Policies in Florida

To combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic, strong policies that promote HIV testing are a primary mechanism for helping public health officials to understand the populations at risk, informing prevention initiatives, and linking infected individuals to the timely care they need. This paper describes HIV testing policies with the goal of improving early diagnosis and treatment of Floridians

Greater Covid-19 vaccine uptake among enrollees offered health and social needs case management: Results from a randomized trial.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate Covid-19 vaccination as a potential secondary public health benefit of case management for Medicaid beneficiaries with health and social needs. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SETTING: The CommunityConnect case management program for Medicaid beneficiaries is run by Contra Costa Health, a county safety net health system in California. Program enrollment data were merged with comprehensive county vaccination records. STUDY DESIGN: Individuals with elevated risk of hospital and emergency department use were randomized each month to a case management intervention or usual care. Interdisciplinary case managers offered coaching, community referrals, healthcare connections, and other support based on enrollee interest and need. Using survival analysis with intent-to-treat assignment, we assessed rates of first-dose Covid-19 vaccination from December 2020 to September 2021. In exploratory sub-analyses we also examined effect heterogeneity by gender, race/ethnicity, age, and primary language. DATA COLLECTION AND EXTRACTION METHODS: Data were extracted from county and program records as of September 2021, totaling 12,866 interventions and 25,761 control enrollments. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Approximately 58% of enrollees were female and 41% were under age 35. Enrollees were 23% White, 12% Asian/Pacific Islander, 20% Black/African American, and 36% Hispanic/Latino, and 10% other/unknown. Approximately 35% of the intervention group engaged with their case manager. Approximately 56% of all intervention and control enrollees were vaccinated after 9 months of analysis time. Intervention enrollees had a higher vaccination rate compared to control enrollees (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02-1.10). In sub-analyses, the intervention was associated with stronger likelihood of vaccination among males and individuals under age 35. CONCLUSIONS: Case management infrastructure modestly improved Covid-19 vaccine uptake in a population of Medicaid beneficiaries that over-represents social groups with barriers to early Covid-19 vaccination. Amidst mixed evidence on vaccination-specific incentives, leveraging trusted case managers and existing case management programs may be a valuable prevention strategy

Animal Agriculture in a Changing Climate Online Course: An Effective Tool for Creating Extension Competency

There is a need to create competency among Extension professionals on the topic of climate change adaptation and mitigation in animal agriculture. The Animal Agriculture in a Changing Climate online course provides an easily accessible, user-friendly, free, and interactive experience for learning science-based information on a national and regional level. The web-based curriculum is proving to be a useful tool and valuable resource for Extension educators in gaining knowledge and being better equipped to inform and influence livestock and poultry producers regarding climate issues