Tracking former welfare recipients and direct service providers in Massachusetts

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1999.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 94-95).In August of 1996, welfare policy in the United States went through the most significant transformation since the New Deal. Once a theoretical notion and popular political agenda, welfare reform came to fruition in the United States with bipartisan support. President Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, which made good on his promise to "change welfare as we know it". The Personal Responsibility Act mandates that welfare recipients can only receive benefits for a limited period of time, also, all nonexempt recipients must work for their benefits. Furthermore, the law gives individual states much more autonomy in creating their own welfare policy and in determining who is eligible for benefits. The federal government rewards states decreasing the number of families on welfare and for reducing the number of out-of-wedlock children born to women on welfare. The states are given the power to reduce the grant amount given to recipients who do not meet the work requirements and other regulations. Several states, like Massachusetts, have used this new found "autonomy" to create welfare reform rules that are more stringent than the regulations developed at the federal level. As clients make the transition off welfare, they encounter barriers and victories at three critical phases in the transition. Phase one is the period of time when the welfare recipient is still receiving Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) benefits, but is scheduled to lose the benefits in less than 24 months. The second phase occurs during the recipient's first year without benefits. The final phase begins at the start of the former recipient's second year without benefits and lasts until the recipient is eligible for benefits again or achieves economic self-sufficiency. The welfare recipient's survival during each of the phases is dependent her strategy or approach to the transition, her level of preparation for the workforce, the support she receives from her family and advocate organizations, and her access to jobs and child care. Organizations that provide housing support can play a pivotal role in a TAFDC recipient's transition off welfare, since these organizations have the capacity to supply affordable housing and a "safety net" during each of the phases. As the number of "former" welfare recipients increases, it is imperative that policy makers and direct service providers uncover the barriers and successes that TAFDC recipients encounter as they journey from welfare dependency to a life without benefits. Equally significant is the need for an understanding of the welfare system from the perspective of the welfare recipient. The recipient's "bottom-up" perception sheds light on the complexities of the journey from welfare to a life without TANF benefits. If used properly, this knowledge can ensure that welfare reform becomes a policy that lifts poor families out of poverty instead of sentencing them to a life of low wages.by Joelle N. Simpson.M.C.P

Language Variation and Change in Hawai’i English: KIT, DRESS, and TRAP

Using an apparent time approach and acoustic phonetic analysis, this study provides the first description of sociolinguistic variation in the realizations of the short-front vowels in Hawaiʻi English. We demonstrate that the realizations of the short-front vowels in Hawaiʻi are conditioned by speaker sex and age, and whether an individual self-identifies as a speaker of Pidgin. We argue that the differences between the vowel realizations of Pidgin and non-Pidgin speakers are likely to be at least partially socially-motivated

Broad-scale lake expansion and flooding inundates essential wood bison habitat

Understanding the interaction between the response of a complex ecosystem to climate change and the protection of vulnerable wildlife species is essential for conservation efforts. In the Northwest Territories (Canada), the recent movement of the Mackenzie wood bison herd (Bison bison athabascae) out of their designated territory has been postulated as a response to the loss of essential habitat following regional lake expansion. We show that the proportion of this landscape occupied by water doubled since 1986 and the timing of lake expansion corresponds to bison movements out of the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary. Historical reconstructions using proxy data in dated sediment cores show that the scale of recent lake expansion is unmatched over at least the last several hundred years. We conclude that recent lake expansion represents a fundamental alteration of the structure and function of this ecosystem and its use by Mackenzie wood bison, in response to climate change.Cumulative Impact Monitoring Program (CIMP) of the Government of the Northwest Territories, the W. Garfield Weston Foundation (postdoctoral fellowship to J.R.T.), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery Grants to M.F.J.P., J.M.B. and M.J.S., an NSERC PDF to J.B.K. and the Northern Scientific Training Program. Logistical support was provided by the Polar Continental Shelf Program

Broad-scale lake expansion and flooding inundates essential wood bison habitat

Understanding the interaction between the response of a complex ecosystem to climate change and the protection of vulnerable wildlife species is essential for conservation efforts. In the Northwest Territories (Canada), the recent movement of the Mackenzie wood bison herd (Bison bison athabascae) out of their designated territory has been postulated as a response to the loss of essential habitat following regional lake expansion. We show that the proportion of this landscape occupied by water doubled since 1986 and the timing of lake expansion corresponds to bison movements out of the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary. Historical reconstructions using proxy data in dated sediment cores show that the scale of recent lake expansion is unmatched over at least the last several hundred years. We conclude that recent lake expansion represents a fundamental alteration of the structure and function of this ecosystem and its use by Mackenzie wood bison, in response to climate change

Machine learning uncovers the most robust self-report predictors of relationship quality across 43 longitudinal couples studies

Given the powerful implications of relationship quality for health and well-being, a central mission of relationship science is explaining why some romantic relationships thrive more than others. This large-scale project used machine learning (i.e., Random Forests) to 1) quantify the extent to which relationship quality is predictable and 2) identify which constructs reliably predict relationship quality. Across 43 dyadic longitudinal datasets from 29 laboratories, the top relationship-specific predictors of relationship quality were perceived-partner commitment, appreciation, sexual satisfaction, perceived-partner satisfaction, and conflict. The top individual-difference predictors were life satisfaction, negative affect, depression, attachment avoidance, and attachment anxiety. Overall, relationship-specific variables predicted up to 45% of variance at baseline, and up to 18% of variance at the end of each study. Individual differences also performed well (21% and 12%, respectively). Actor-reported variables (i.e., own relationship-specific and individual-difference variables) predicted two to four times more variance than partner-reported variables (i.e., the partner’s ratings on those variables). Importantly, individual differences and partner reports had no predictive effects beyond actor-reported relationship-specific variables alone. These findings imply that the sum of all individual differences and partner experiences exert their influence on relationship quality via a person’s own relationship-specific experiences, and effects due to moderation by individual differences and moderation by partner-reports may be quite small. Finally, relationship-quality change (i.e., increases or decreases in relationship quality over the course of a study) was largely unpredictable from any combination of self-report variables. This collective effort should guide future models of relationships

Heterologous Reconstitution of the Intact Geodin Gene Cluster in Aspergillus nidulans through a Simple and Versatile PCR Based Approach

Fungal natural products are a rich resource for bioactive molecules. To fully exploit this potential it is necessary to link genes to metabolites. Genetic information for numerous putative biosynthetic pathways has become available in recent years through genome sequencing. However, the lack of solid methodology for genetic manipulation of most species severely hampers pathway characterization. Here we present a simple PCR based approach for heterologous reconstitution of intact gene clusters. Specifically, the putative gene cluster responsible for geodin production from Aspergillus terreus was transferred in a two step procedure to an expression platform in A. nidulans. The individual cluster fragments were generated by PCR and assembled via efficient USER fusion prior to transformation and integration via re-iterative gene targeting. A total of 13 open reading frames contained in 25 kb of DNA were successfully transferred between the two species enabling geodin synthesis in A. nidulans. Subsequently, functions of three genes in the cluster were validated by genetic and chemical analyses. Specifically, ATEG_08451 (gedC) encodes a polyketide synthase, ATEG_08453 (gedR) encodes a transcription factor responsible for activation of the geodin gene cluster and ATEG_08460 (gedL) encodes a halogenase that catalyzes conversion of sulochrin to dihydrogeodin. We expect that our approach for transferring intact biosynthetic pathways to a fungus with a well developed genetic toolbox will be instrumental in characterizing the many exciting pathways for secondary metabolite production that are currently being uncovered by the fungal genome sequencing projects

Implementation of “Microsim” training to improved readiness for mass casualty scenario in a pediatric trauma center emergency department

It is essential that all emergency department (ED) staff be trained to prepare for and respond to Mass Casualty Incidents (MCI). Traditional MCI training often requires significant resources, leading to laborious and infrequent drilling. Microsimulations (“MicroSims”) are a novel training strategy focused on abbreviated drill scenarios testing knowledge and execution of critical tasks. We hypothesize that implementation of MicroSims will increase staff preparedness and performance in an MCI. Children\u27s National Medical Center (CNMC) ED conducted a 7-point readiness pre-survey of all ED staff before implementing microsim MCI exercises. 3 pre-scripted microsim MCI scenarios were exercised on a weekly basis alternating AM and PM shifts and days of the week to ensure random sampling of staff. The primary measure was the completion of 8 critical tasks on a rating scale of 0 – did not perform, 1- performed inadequately, or 2- adequately performed. Study staff led a debrief at the conclusion of each drill. Staff also completed an evaluation survey at the end of each exercise. Equal numbers of drills were performed during day and night shifts. Average drill length was 8:12 (m:s) and an average debrief length of 2:51. Completion of critical tasks was significantly better during night shift drills (p=0.024). The task most missed during the exercise was review of the MCI leader job action sheet. Key themes in drill evaluations included: (1) clarification of roles (2) task prioritization (3) awareness of job action sheet and (4) need for more repetitions of drills. It is possible to conduct an MCI microsim training in under 10 minutes in a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center ED that can impact staff knowledge about the MCI protocol and available resources. Qualitative assessment of microsim evaluations show that ED staff appreciate these frequent drills and can identify opportunities for improvement without being disruptive to their workflow. Additional microsims are needed to identify best practices for MCI management in a pediatric ED