126 research outputs found

    Pathways to stability: past and present

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    The rise in prison committals is leading to an increased number of people with complex needs returning to their communities in need of reintegration support. There is much debate in Ireland today over the increasing problematic drug and alcohol use amongst our younger generations. The link between substance misuse and crime rates has been well documented. However, there is a void in the research on the use of community initiatives to support people in substance misuse recovery and desistance. There are a number of community-based initiatives funded by the Department of Justice and Equality that endeavour to support ex-prisoners to reintegrate into society successfully and reduce their risk of re-offending, one such initiative is Churchfield Community Trust (CCT). This study aims to contribute to the research available to learn from the founding members and past participants of CCT on what interventions and supports are beneficial to supporting people in their transitional journey. CCT hope to use these findings to determine how they could better support the reintegration process and the desistance from crime

    Evaluation of Physical Activity Participation, Self-Efficacy and Outcome Expectancy for Employees Participating in Exercise Is MedicineÂź On Campus Program

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    Exercise Is MedicineÂź On Campus (EIM-OC) is a worldwide initiative from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) to promote physical activity (PA) at universities. California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) implemented this initiative in Fall 2019 with offerings to students and employees. For employees, an “Introduction to Resistance Training Class” was offered. Participants attended classes two times per week, with the sessions lasting approximately fifty minutes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the EIM-OC employee Introduction to Resistance Training class for its effectiveness on increasing PA, self-efficacy, and outcome expectancy. The research design was pre-post, with participants completing online questionnaires before and after the course. The Godin Leisure Time Physical Activity Questionnaire (LTPQ), Resistance Training Self-Efficacy and Outcome Expectancy Questionnaire, and Self-Efficacy and the Maintenance of Exercise Participation in Older Adults Questionnaire were included. The training class had a total of 14 female participants, 12 of which completed the pre- and postquestionnaires. There was a significant increase (t=-3.2, df=11, p=.004) in resistance training self-efficacy score following the course (M=3.52±1.03 versus M=4.31±.56). Resistance training outcome expectancy score was also statistically significant (t=- 2.54, df=11, p=.01) following the course (M=4.48±.53 versus M=4.71±.37). There were increases in strenuous exercise days, physical activity scores, and future resistance training self-efficacy, although they were not statistically significant. The results of this study indicate that employee exercise classes, as part of the EIM-OC initiative, can be effective in increasing resistance training self-efficacy, and outcome expectancy. These indicators are important for individuals to maintain lifelong PA therefore future programming and research on EIM-OC should continue

    Evaluating Students’ Perceived Stress, Sleep Quality, and Physical Activity in Exercise Is Medicine¼ On Campus Student-led Health Consultation Program

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    The American College of Sport Medicine created the Exercise is Medicine¼ (EIM) initiative to improve health through the promotion and prescription of physical activity. The EIM-On Campus (EIM-OC) initiative uses physical activity as a vital sign for promoting healthy behaviors among students and employees on a college campus. The EIM-OC initiative was launched at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) in Fall 2019. The purpose of this research project was to promote and evaluate college students’ health behaviors associated with the implementation of the EIM-OC initiative at CSUMB. We hypothesized significant improvements in perceived stress, sleep quality, and total physical activity time among participants. The research design was pre-post and tracked participants in the EIM-OC semester long consultation program. Fifteen CSUMB students participated in the consultation program. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Godin-Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ) were administered online through an intake form before and after the consultation program. Dependent t-tests were performed to assess for pre- and post-differences in perceived stress (PS), sleep quality (SQ), and total physical activity (PA) time. Significance was set at = 0.05. Participant’s age was M=20.87, SD=3.34 years, with 60% being college junior status. There was a statistically significant improvement in students’ perceived stress levels (t=2.659, df=14, p=.019) pre (M=16.47, SD=5.630) and post (M=11.53, SD=6.424) intervention. There was also a statistically significant improvement in sleep quality (t=.3166, df=14, p=.007) pre (M=6.80, SD=2.981) and post (M=5.07, SD=2.963) intervention. There were improvements in total physical activity time, although it was not significant. The results of this research project indicate that peer advisor consultation programs can be effective in improving college-aged students’ perceived stress and sleep quality. These health behavior improvements are important contributors to college students’ lifelong health behavior habits, quality of life, and academic performance

    Recommendations To Reduce Frequent Jail Contact

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    Although most jail admissions represent the only contact a person will have with the criminal legal system, there is a small group of people who experience more frequent jail contact and who represent a disproportionate number of both jail admissions and expenditures. People with frequent jail contact experience complex, interconnected social, economic, and behavioral health needs that may exacerbate (or be exacerbated by) their frequent jail contact. This group also experiences frequent contact with other services in the community, such as emergency rooms, homeless shelters, and treatment facilities. Strategies to implement services that meet complex needs and address structural barriers are critical to meaningfully and sustainably reduce system involvement among the population of people who experience frequent jail contact.Effective change for people with frequent jail contact must proceed simultaneously on a systemic, policy level and on the individual services level. The population discussed in this policy brief typically has complicated behavioral and medical health needs, extensive criminal legal encounters, and significant social deficits such as poverty, isolation, and elevated risk of being unhoused. Many of their needs can be addressed with intensive, person-centered treatment in a coordinated continuum of care

    Nitrogen Production in Starburst Galaxies Detected by GALEX

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    We investigate the production of nitrogen in star-forming galaxies with ultraviolet (UV) radiation detected by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer Satellite (GALEX). We use a sample of 8745 GALEX emission-line galaxies matched to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) spectroscopic sample. We derive both gas-phase oxygen and nitrogen abundances for the sample and apply stellar population synthesis models to derive stellar masses and star formation histories of the galaxies. We compare oxygen abundances derived using three different diagnostics. We derive the specific star formation rates of the galaxies by modeling the seven-band GALEX+SDSS photometry. We find that galaxies that have log (SFR/M_*) ≳ − 10.0 typically have values of log (N/O) ~ 0.05 dex less than galaxies with log (SFR/M_*) ≟ − 10.0 and similar oxygen abundances

    Single-Scale Natural SUSY

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    We consider the prospects for natural SUSY models consistent with current data. Recent constraints make the standard paradigm unnatural so we consider what could be a minimal extension consistent with what we now know. The most promising such scenarios extend the MSSM with new tree-level Higgs interactions that can lift its mass to at least 125 GeV and also allow for flavor-dependent soft terms so that the third generation squarks are lighter than current bounds on the first and second generation squarks. We argue that a common feature of almost all such models is the need for a new scale near 10 TeV, such as a scale of Higgsing or confinement of a new gauge group. We consider the question whether such a model can naturally derive from a single mass scale associated with supersymmetry breaking. Most such models simply postulate new scales, leaving their proximity to the scale of MSSM soft terms a mystery. This coincidence problem may be thought of as a mild tuning, analogous to the usual mu problem. We find that a single mass scale origin is challenging, but suggest that a more natural origin for such a new dynamical scale is the gravitino mass, m_{3/2}, in theories where the MSSM soft terms are a loop factor below m_{3/2}. As an example, we build a variant of the NMSSM where the singlet S is composite, and the strong dynamics leading to compositeness is triggered by masses of order m_{3/2} for some fields. Our focus is the Higgs sector, but our model is compatible with a light stop (with the other generation squarks heavy, or with R-parity violation or another mechanism to hide them from current searches). All the interesting low-energy mass scales, including linear terms for S playing a key role in EWSB, arise dynamically from the single scale m_{3/2}. However, numerical coefficients from RG effects and wavefunction factors in an extra dimension complicate the otherwise simple story.Comment: 32 pages, 3 figures; version accepted by JHE
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