Assessing Youth Early in the Juvenile Justice System

Unnecessary involvement in the juvenile justice system generally results in negative long-term outcomes (Annie E. Casey Foundation Website, 2008). The problem lies in determining when involvement is unnecessary and when it is necessary. A juvenile’s path to detention often begins years prior. Research indicates that unnecessary court involvement may contribute to worse outcomes, which can ultimately culminate in detention (Holman & Ziedenberg, 2006). Youth who are formally processed through court are more likely to be under closer supervision, which, in turn, increases their chances of being caught violating curfew, missing school, or committing another technical violation. To test the effect of system involvement, we examined youth enrolled in two early intervention programs: Juvenile Diversion, which involves formal processing and services, and Early Assessment, a process designed to screen youth out of system involvement. Only low-risk, juvenile law offenders are eligible for either of these two programs. Using propensity score analysis we examined whether youth who participated in Early Assessment were less likely to recidivate than their peers who participated in the Juvenile Diversion Program. Our findings indicate that, 24 months after program completion, Early Assessment participants were significantly less likely to have a new law violation compared to youth who participated in Juvenile Diversion

Attachment of streptavidin to β-cyclodextrin molecular printboards via orthogonal host-guest and protein-ligand interactions

Streptavidin (SAv) is attached to β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) via orthogonal host-guest and SAv-biotin interactions. The orthogonal linkers consist of a biotin functionality for binding to SAv and adamantyl functionalities for host-guest interactions at β-CD SAMs. SAv complexed to excess monovalent linker in solution and then attached to a β-CD SAM could be removed by rinsing with a 10 mM β-CD solution. When SAv was attached to the β-CD SAM via the divalent linker, it was impossible to remove SAv from the surface by the same rinsing procedure. This is interpreted by assuming that two SAv binding pockets are oriented towards the β-CD SAM resulting in (labile) divalent and (stable) tetravalent β-CD-adamantyl interactions for the mono- and divalent linkers, respectively. This was confirmed by experiments at varying β-CD concentrations. When the [linker]/[SAv] ratio is reduced, a clear trend in the divalent-linker case is seen: the less linker the more protein could be removed from the surface. It is proven that the orthogonality of the binding motifs and the stability of the divalent linker at the -CD SAM allows the stepwise assembly of the complex at the β-CD SAM by first adsorbing the linker, followed by SAv. This stepwise assembly allows the controlled heterofunctionalization of surface-immobilized SAv

Stepwise Design and Evaluation of a Values-Oriented Ambient Intelligence Healthcare Monitoring Platform

Contains fulltext : 251562.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)OBJECTIVES: The majority of all developed digital health technologies do not reach successful implementation. A discrepancy among technology design, the context of use, and user needs and values is identified as the main reason for this failure. Value-sensitive design (VSD) is a design method enabling to align design with user values by embedding values in technology, yet the method is lacking clear heuristics for practical application. To improve the successful design and implementation of digital health, we propose and evaluate a stepwise approach to VSD. METHODS: The approach consists of the phases: experiment, demonstrate, and validate. Experiment takes place in an office to create makeshift solutions. Demonstrate takes place in a mock-up environment and aims to optimize design requirements through user feedback. The validate phase takes place in an authentic care situation and studies how the novel technology affects current workflows. RESULTS: We applied the stepwise VSD approach to the design of a hospital-based ambient intelligence solution for remotely and continuously monitoring quality and safety of patient care. We particularly focused on embodiment of the values of safety, privacy, and inclusiveness in the design. Design activities of the experiment and demonstrate phase are discussed. CONCLUSIONS: A stepwise approach to VSD enables a design to optimally meet the values of all users involved, while aligning the design process with the practical limitations of healthcare institutions. We discuss some benefits and challenges related to VSD and the potential for transfer of this approach to other digital health solutions

The Lancaster County Juvenile Reentry Project

In order to establish a best practice model for juveniles reentering the community, Lancaster County brought multiple agencies together in 2012 and began to develop a systematic juvenile reentry approach, which became known as the “Reentry Project.” By January 2013, Lancaster County had contracted with multiple agencies to ensure this new approach was used when youth were returning to the community

Reimagine the ICU: Healthcare Professionals’ Perspectives on How Environments (Can) Promote Patient Well-Being

Objective: This study aims (1) to understand the needs and challenges of the current intensive care unit (ICU) environments in supporting patient well-being from the perspective of healthcare professionals (HCPs) and (2) to explore the new potential of ICU environments enabled by technology.Background: Evidence-based design has yielded how the design of environments can advocate for patient well-being, and digital technology offers new possibilities for indoor environments. However, the role of technology in facilitating ICU patient well-being has been unexplored.Method: This study was conducted in two phases. First, a mixed-method study was conducted with ICU HCPs from four Dutch hospitals. The study investigated the current environmental support for care activities, as well as the factors that positively and negatively contribute to patient experience. Next, a co-creation session was held involving HCPs and health technology experts to explore opportunities for technology to support ICU patient well-being.Results: The mixed-method study revealed nine negative and eight positive patient experience factors. HCPs perceived patient emotional care as most challenging due to the ICU workload and a lack of environmental support in fulfilling patient emotional needs. The co-creation session yielded nine technology-enabled solutions to address identified challenges. Finally, drawing from insights from both studies, four strategies were introduced that guide toward creating technology to provide holistic and personalized care for patients.Conclusion: Patient experience factors are intertwined, necessitating a multifactorial approach to support patient well-being. Viewing the ICU environment as a holistic unit, our findings provide guidance on creating healing environments using technology

From a Morning Forest to a Sunset Beach:Understanding Visual Experiences and the Roles of Personal Characteristics for Designing Relaxing Digital Nature

Nature experiences, especially the visual aspects of nature, have been widely used to facilitate relaxation. Fueled by digital technology, simulated visual nature experiences have gained popularity in creating healing environments that induce relaxation. However, while easily applicable, not all nature-imitating visuals lead to relaxation. How to effectively design relaxing visual nature experiences remains largely unexplored. This paper investigates how different nature qualities facilitate relaxing visual experiences and the roles of two personal characteristics (mood and nature-relatedness) play. Through an online survey and interviews, we assessed 16 nature video clips, representing eight distinctive nature qualities, and compared perceived experiences while considering the influence of personal characteristics. The results indicate four types of visual qualities (engaging, instinctive, ambient, and derivative) underlying nature-induced relaxation, and show that nature relatedness influences the degree to which nature video clips elicit relaxation. We discuss design implications for creating personalized digital nature

Children’s accommodation to a variety of targets – a pilot study

Background: Previous research indicates that a significant proportion of children underaccommodate at 1/3 m. Accommodation may vary with task demand, so children may accommodate appropriately if required, for example, when reading small print. This study explores the range of accommodative responses elicited in typical children, under naturalistic conditions, to a range of targets. Method: We identified 24 typically developing children from the University of Reading Child Database. Primary-school children attending UK Year 2 (age 6-7 years) or Year 6 (age 10-11 years) with minimum distance visual acuity of 0.200 logMAR and near visual acuity of 0.100 logMAR were recruited for participation. A remote haploscopic photorefractor was used to assess naturalistic, sustained, binocular accommodative responses to a variety of targets. At 33 cm, accommodative targets included individual letters, age-appropriate text in large print equivalent to early primary-school books, small N5 equivalent print, a visual search task (“Where’s Wally?”), a clown picture containing a range of spatial frequencies, and a children’s cartoon. Participants were given minimal instructions for task completion. The target presentation order was counterbalanced. The results reported in this study were obtained during a longer testing session involving different target types and fixation distances. Results: The accommodative response observed with each target varied across participants to both the clown target and single letters of a size used in school reading books the accommodative responses were 2.4±0.48 D (range 0.85-2.97 D) and 2.47±0.37 D (range 1.48-3.09 D), respectively. The accommodative response to N5 print (3.06±0.52 D) was statistically better than all other targets other than the visual search and larger print tasks (P<0.05). Conclusions: Even to demanding N5 text, accommodation is variable between participants, but is better than that to less demanding targets. Tasks experienced by children in everyday or clinical situations will stimulate an unknown amount of accommodation for near fixation

Nebraska State DMC Assessment

The Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Act charges states to institute multipronged strategies not only to prevent delinquency but to improve the juvenile justice system and assure equal treatment of all youth. To successfully address Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC), the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention recommends a five-phase process, whereby jurisdictions: 1) identify whether disproportionality exists and the extent to which it exists; 2) assess the contributing factors, examine minority overrepresentation and explain differences at all contact stages of the juvenile justice system; 3) provide an intervention plan; 4) evaluate the efficacy of efforts to reduce DMC; and 5) monitor and track DMC trends over time to identify emerging critical issues and to determine whether there has been progress. The goal of this assessment is to identify the factors that contribute to DMC so that Nebraska’s juvenile justice system stakeholders can design appropriate intervention strategies. Like many assessments of this type, we were limited by the availability and quality of data. However, the report and recommendations that follow identify ways in which Nebraska can: 1) improve its capacity to develop data-driven approaches to addressing DMC; 2) examine subjective discretion points for the purpose of removing the potential for implicit bias to impact decision making; and 3) implement best practices to improve the juvenile justice system