Acting in Isolation: Safeguarding and anti-trafficking officers’ evidence and intelligence practices at the border

Internationally, the border has been presented as a site of unique opportunity for the identification and protection of victims of human trafficking. In the UK, the establishment of specialist safeguarding and anti-trafficking (SAT) units within the border force has raised questions about the challenges for border force officers (BFOs) of balancing the enforcement of strict immigration rules with the protection of victims under anti-trafficking legislation. In this paper we draw on data collected from a study of anti-trafficking initiatives at Heathrow airport to consider a particular area of BFO frustration with SAT work: the collection and use of evidence and intelligence to support investigation and pursuit of potential SAT cases at the border. Our findings focus on the use of intelligence and data to inform initiatives and develop a comprehensive understanding of the trafficking problem; and the scope of BFO powers of evidence-collection on the frontline. The experience of BFOs points to a team often working in isolation as they attempt to traverse gaps in data collection and limits to their powers to gather evidence in pursuit of their duty to identify victims of trafficking at the UK border. We conclude by making proposals for how the border force and central government could improve evidence and intelligence practices in ways that translate into both more coherent anti-trafficking policy and better identification and support for victims

‘Once they pass you, They may be gone forever’: Humanitarian Duties and Professional Tensions in Safeguarding and Anti-Trafficking at the Border

Border crossings are considered sites of unique opportunity to identify and protect victims of trafficking. UK government reforms have given Border Officers new roles and responsibilities as humanitarian first responders. This paper explores how Border Officers reconcile this aspect of their work with their role as enforcers of immigration law and their increasingly militarized status as protectors of national sovereignty and security. Drawing on in-depth interviews with a specialized team of Safeguarding and Anti-trafficking (SAT) Officers at a UK airport, we identify the emergence of a distinct SAT subculture, characterized by a sense of moral purpose and moral community, and of doing difficult but meaningful and highly skilled work that others are too indifferent, feckless or intimidated by to take on

Mutual Fund Survivorship

This article provides a comprehensive study of survivorship issues using the mutual fund data of Carhart (1997). We demonstrate theoretically that when survival depends on multiperiod performance, the survivorship bias in average performance typically increases with the sample length. This is empirically relevant because evidence suggests a multiyear survival rule for U.S. mutual funds. In the data we find the annual bias increases from 0.07% for 1-year samples to 1% for samples longer than 15 years. We find that survivor conditioning weakens evidence of performance persistence. Finally, we explain how survivor conditioning affects the relation between performance and fund characteristics

Simultaneous release of a hydroxy-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitor and a glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antagonist from a thermoresponsive NiPAAm/NtBAAm copolymer system.

While deployment of intracoronary stents has been shown to reduce restenosis, stenting can also damage the endothelial was eluted during this period. Xemilofiban release was measured in terms of its ability to inhibit platelet adhesion, using a microfluidic system. To investigate the influence of location and hydrophobicity on elution of bioactivity, three separate systems were employed. While elution of anti-adhesive activity from the system containing xemilofiban-loaded matrices was more dramatic in the short term, a more sustained level of inhibition was achieved when xemilofiban had been incorporated into microgels. All samples investigated for anti-adhesive activity also decreased human coronary artery smooth muscle cell proliferation. Therefore xemilofiban has potential as an agent for preventing in-stent thrombosis. Our study has demonstrated the feasibility of using this novel matrix/microgel system to regulate simultaneous release of both agents in bioactive concentratio

A mixed-methods evaluation using effectiveness perception surveys, social network analysis, and county-level health statistics: A pilot study of eight rural Indiana community health coalitions

Community health coalitions (CHCs) are a promising approach for addressing disparities in rural health statistics. However, their effectiveness has been variable, and evaluation methods have been insufficient and inconsistent. Thus, we propose a mixed-methods evaluation framework and discuss pilot study findings. CHCs in our pilot study partnered with Purdue Extension. Extension links communities and land grant universities, providing programming and support for community-engaged research. We conducted social network analysis and effectiveness perception surveys in CHCs in 8 rural Indiana counties during summer 2017 and accessed county-level health statistics from 2015-16. We compared calculated variables (i.e., effectiveness survey k-means clusters, network measures, health status/outcomes) using Pearson’s correlations. CHC members’ positive perceptions of their leadership and functioning correlated with interconnectedness in their partnership networks, while more centralized partnership networks correlated with CHC members reporting problems in their coalitions. CHCs with highly rated leadership and functioning developed in counties with poor infant/maternal health and opioid outcomes. Likewise, CHCs reporting fewer problems for participation developed in counties with poor infant/maternal health, poor opioid outcomes, and more people without healthcare coverage. This pilot study provides a framework for iterative CHC evaluation. As the evidence grows, we will make recommendations for best practices that optimize CHC partnerships to improve local health in rural areas

Multifunctional Graphene–Polymer Nanocomposite Sensors Formed by One-Step In Situ Shear Exfoliation of Graphite

Graphene nanocomposites are a promising class of advanced materials for sensing applications; yet, their commercialization is hindered due to impurity incorporation during fabrication and high costs. The aim of this work is to prepare graphene–polysulfone (G−PSU) and graphene–polyvinylidene fluoride (G−PVDF) nanocomposites that perform as multifunctional sensors and are formed using a one-step, in situ exfoliation process whereby graphite is exfoliated into graphene nanoflakes (GNFs) directly within the polymer. This low-cost method creates a nanocomposite while avoiding impurity exposure since the raw materials used in the in situ shear exfoliation process are graphite and polymers. The morphology, structure, thermal properties, and flexural properties were determined for G−PSU and G−PVDF nanocomposites, as well as the electromechanical sensor capability during cyclic flexural loading, temperature sensor testing while heating and cooling, and electrochemical sensor capability to detect dopamine while sensing data wirelessly. G−PSU and G−PVDF nanocomposites show superior mechanical characteristics (gauge factor around 27 and significantly enhanced modulus), thermal characteristics (stability up to 500 °C and 170 °C for G−PSU and G−PVDF, respectively), electrical characteristics (0.1 S/m and 1 S/m conductivity for G−PSU and G−PVDF, respectively), and distinguished resonant peaks for wireless sensing (~212 MHz and ~429 MHz). These uniquely formed G−PMC nanocomposites are promising candidates as strain sensors for structural health monitoring, as temperature sensors for use in automobiles and aerospace applications, and as electrochemical sensors for health care and disease diagnostics

Going Beyond Promoting: Preparing Students to Creatively Solve Future Problems

While we cannot know what problems the future will bring, we can be almost certain that solving them will require creativity. In this article we describe how our course, a first-year undergraduate mathematics course, supports creative problem solving. Creative problem solving cannot be learned through a single experience, so we provide our students with a blend of experiences. We discuss how the course structure enables creative problem solving through class instruction, during class activities, during out of class assessments, and during in class assessments. We believe this course structure increases student comfort with solving open-ended and ill-defined problems similar to what they will encounter in the real world

DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL ONE-STEP HYBRID PROCESSING

Abstract The plastics processing industry typically must precompound using extrusion prior to part fabrication by injection molding (IM). The aim of this work is to implement a novel method that combines compounding and part fabrication into one processing step, thereby eliminating a costly, heat-intensive extra step. Poly (trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) is blended with 10, 15, 20, and 30 % fiberglass (FG) by three methods, including standard IM, pre-compounding followed by standard IM, and a novel, one-step IM process using an innovative mixing screw design. The effect of processing method on the mechanical, impact, and thermal properties of a FG-PTT composite is presented

UK Anti-Slavery at the Border: Humanitarian Opportunism and the Challenge of Victim Consent to Assistance

The UK’s Modern Slavery Strategy, launched in 2014, gives Border Force Officers a key role as anti-slavery first responders, identifying and supporting victims at the border. Yet, while an estimated 94% of victims of human trafficking cross UK borders, in 2016 less than 3% of victim referrals were made at the border. This article draws on a series of in-depth interviews with a specialised Safeguarding and Anti-Trafficking team within the UK Border Force to shed light on this discrepancy and, in doing so, to take forward critical debates about the coherence of humanitarian anti-slavery policy and the consistency of its ambitions with a continued prioritization by governments of security policy and immigration control. The paper furthers two key arguments. First, that current policy around anti-slavery first response at the border is grounded in a rationale of ‘humanitarian opportunism’, which states that borders are sites of unique opportunity to identify and assist victims of trafficking, and that Border Force Officers therefore have a humanitarian duty to identify and assist victims. Second, that the humanitarian opportunity is in reality far more restricted in practice than the policy rhetoric suggests, a fact which goes some way to explaining the very small numbers of those identified as trafficked and assisted at UK borders. Two key challenges to successful identification and support are identified. The first is EU freedom of movement, which effectively exempts European citizens from vulnerability screening by Border Force Officers. The second is the requirement that Border Force Officers obtain written consent from those identified as trafficked to being labelled a victim of crime before they can be offered support. The paper puts forward some suggestions for how these challenges could be addressed for the benefit of those trafficked

Predictive validity of the UK clinical aptitude test in the final years of medical school:a prospective cohort study

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