Tri-Institutional Library Support: A Lesson in Forced Collaboration

This paper discusses the trials and tribulations of three separate institutional libraries supporting one new graduate-level academic program. In January 2002, a new distance graduate program in Applied Psychology began with technical, administrative, and academic support provided by three separate institutions. While one institution was initially charged with providing the bulk of library services, in reality, libraries at all three have contributed one service or another. The lead library provides remote database access and document delivery, and initially provided electronic reserves. After the first semester and several glitches, electronic reserves were moved to institutional library #2, which was also hosting the course management system. In the fall of 2002, institutional library #3 began to contribute with an information literacy module that has been incorporated into the orientation for all new students

Memory and self-induced shocks in an evolutionary population competing for limited resources

We present a detailed discussion of the role played by memory, and the nature of self-induced shocks, in an evolutionary population competing for limited resources. Our study builds on a previously introduced multi-agent system [Phys. Rev. Lett 82, 3360 (1999)] which has attracted significant attention in the literature. This system exhibits self-segregation of the population based on the `gene' value p (where 0<=p<=1), transitions to `frozen' populations as a function of the global resource level, and self-induced large changes which spontaneously arise as the dynamical system evolves. We find that the large, macroscopic self-induced shocks which arise, are controlled by microscopic changes within extreme subgroups of the population (i.e. subgroups with `gene' values p~0 and p~1).Comment: 27 pages, 31 figure

The Costs and Benefits of Introducing Mandatory Hygiene Regulations

In an idealised model the costs of capital and maintenance and the resulting flow of income benefits over a period of years enables the analyst to produce computations of present values and internal rates of return that summarise the whole investment process in a micro environment. In approaching an industry investment problem like mandatory hygiene regulations with benefits or costs to other entities involved, identifying the appropriate capital and maintenance costs and the industry and non-industry benefits is a giant task. In this paper, we report an attempt to identify the extra costs involved in the introduction of the regulations where industry recorded data is not available, and an attempt to identify industry and non-industry benefits from modelling market effects when countries impose restrictions on exports of NZ meat products. For the latter we employ the GTAP model and examine the saved costs to NZ when countries do not impose import restrictions on hygiene grounds. The problem involves consideration of private and public costs and benefits and the flow of costs and benefits when inadequate data is only available. Although our results are confined to average responses to the hygiene programme, they do give an indication of the overall necessity for embarking on such programmes in today's trading conditions.HACCP/RMP, Benefit Cost Analysis, Meat, New Zealand, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, International Relations/Trade,

State-based Home Visiting: Strengthening Programs Through State Leadership

This report examines whether states are investing in home visiting in ways that promote better outcomes for young children and whether they meet the needs of children facing the greatest social and developmental risks. The purpose was to assess the direction of state policies and programs, not to evaluate program effectiveness

Maximizing the Use of EPSDT to Improve the Health and Development of Young Children

In every state, assuring access to health care and a medical home is a core component of the Early Childhood Comprehensive System (ECCS) initiative. Medicaid finances health, mental health, and developmental services for approximately one-third of U.S. children under age 6. This Project THRIVE Short Take discusses the importance of Medicaid's child health benefit—the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) program. EPSDT is in essence the child health benefit plan for Medicaid. Short Take 2 reviews research about the role of EPSDT in improving early childhood health and development and opportunities for ECCS leaders to use EPSDT in collaborative efforts to improve child health

The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005: Opportunities and Challenges for ECCS Initiatives

This Project THRIVE Short Take examines the potential impact of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) on health access and coverage for young children ages birth to 5 years. The core provisions of the DRA are described in contrast to existing law, and opportunities and threats are discussed. The last section offers recommendations and resources for further study. Each state's Early Childhood Comprehensive System (ECCS) initiative has a component focused on assuring health access and a medical home for every child. The DRA changes to Medicaid have important implications for assuring health coverage and access and will potentially have their greatest impact on young children who are more likely to be covered through Medicaid than older children. These new options and requirements in Medicaid should be considered both in states developing ECCS plans and those implementing early childhood system changes

Developing Fiscal Analyses and Children's Budgets to Support ECCS

This Project THRIVE Short Take offers state Early Childhood Comprehensive System (ECCS) initiatives practical advice on conducting fiscal scans and creating early childhood budgets. Fiscal analysis and planning are essential for building a state or community fiscal infrastructure to support and sustain early childhood comprehensive system plans. Says one state ECCS coordinator, "ECCS initiatives must achieve a deep understanding of the budget in order to influence the policy decisions that impact young children. A cross-system plan without a cross-system budget is difficult to implement." Using a "how to" approach, this document offers exemplary approaches, tables, and tools. It builds on program-by-program background information from NCCP's Spending Smarter report, as well as information from a recent report published by the Forum for Youth Investment and the Finance Project. It also highlights state and local experience in fiscal analysis

Evolutionary quantum game

We present the first study of a dynamical quantum game. Each agent has a `memory' of her performance over the previous m timesteps, and her strategy can evolve in time. The game exhibits distinct regimes of optimality. For small m the classical game performs better, while for intermediate m the relative performance depends on whether the source of qubits is `corrupt'. For large m, the quantum players dramatically outperform the classical players by `freezing' the game into high-performing attractors in which evolution ceases.Comment: 4 pages in two-column format. 4 figure

Kay Johnson to James Meredith (31 September 1962)

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/mercorr_pro/1242/thumbnail.jp

The effectiveness of anger management counseling on recidivism rates of gang-related adolescents in the Project BRIDGE Program

This study explores recidivism rates of gang-related adolescents newly enrolled in the Project BRIDGE (Building Resources for the Intervention and Deterrence of Gang Engagement) Program. The goal of this project is to reduce the incidence of youth gang violence, gang membership, and gang related activities in the city of Riverside, California