Transit: An analysis of networked criminal groups and criminal opportunities at transit ports

Like the path of many contraband commodities, trafficked cultural objects cross countless legal borders and intersect with the legitimate market world at a number of critical transit junctures, which supports the concept of a single “grey” market. These transit settings, where different elements of trafficking networks must converge, are sites of vulnerability for criminals and opportunity for law enforcement intervention. For this discussion, the case study of Subhash Kapoor’s trafficking network will be used as a frame of reference throughout the essay to support the idea that a port, as an interface in the global supply chain, is a critical site for analysis and understanding of international trafficking in cultural objects. What follows is a discussion of conceptualisations of organised crime in late modernity, a spatial analysis of the global cultural heritage trade, and an overview of the securitisation and role of sea ports in trade

Searching for the unexpected - understanding information-seeking behaviours of people new to prison visits

Often, when an offender is sentenced their family and friends find themselves in a state of uncertainty. At this point, family and friends of prisoners need support and often find themselves alone to navigate and learn the correctional system to gain visitation approval. It is unknown how people new to visitation learns the rules and processes of prison visits to gain visitation access. This study explores 21 prison visitors’ information-seeking behaviour to understanding how people new to prison visitation learns to navigate the system to obtain visitation approval and identify any factors that might imped their ability to information-seek, thus delaying or preventing visitation. Using Flexible Pattern Matching Analysis we identified five factors that can occur prior to individual’s need to information-seek, and one key factor that was common during the visit experience that can impact peoples ‘ability to information seek’. Implications for prison visitation policy and practice are discussed

Sensitive and Precise Quantification of Insulin-Like mRNA Expression in Caenorhabditis elegans

Insulin-like signaling regulates developmental arrest, stress resistance and lifespan in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. However, the genome encodes 40 insulin-like peptides, and the regulation and function of individual peptides is largely uncharacterized. We used the nCounter platform to measure mRNA expression of all 40 insulin-like peptides as well as the insulin-like receptor daf-2, its transcriptional effector daf-16, and the daf-16 target gene sod-3. We validated the platform using 53 RNA samples previously characterized by high density oligonucleotide microarray analysis. For this set of genes and the standard nCounter protocol, sensitivity and precision were comparable between the two platforms. We optimized conditions of the nCounter assay by varying the mass of total RNA used for hybridization, thereby increasing sensitivity up to 50-fold and reducing the median coefficient of variation as much as 4-fold. We used deletion mutants to demonstrate specificity of the assay, and we used optimized conditions to assay insulin-like gene expression throughout the C. elegans life cycle. We detected expression for nearly all insulin-like genes and find that they are expressed in a variety of distinct patterns suggesting complexity of regulation and specificity of function. We identified insulin-like genes that are specifically expressed during developmental arrest, larval development, adulthood and embryogenesis. These results demonstrate that the nCounter platform provides a powerful approach to analyzing insulin-like gene expression dynamics, and they suggest hypotheses about the function of individual insulin-like genes

The journey of leaders: Planned or unplanned?

According to Ren-Etta Sullivan (2003) pathways that lead to career progression within the early childhood education sector are unclear. Furthermore it seems that there is a lack of research which underpins leadership theory in the early childhood education sector (Ebbeck Waniganayake, 2004; Rodd, 2006; Scrivens, 2003; Thornton, 2003). Due to the absence of research, early childhood education professionals have not formed clear opinions about leadership (Ren-Etta Sullivan, 2003). This lack of opinion has lead to leadership in early childhood education being under researched, undefined, undervalued and under-represented in dialogue, policy and practice. This study is the investigation of how early childhood education leaders have come to be in positions of leadership. This study explores research that underpins theories of leadership in the early childhood education context. Through exploring the career path of 6 early childhood education leaders, this study gives an insight into the ideas, opinions and explanations of how the participant has come to be in positions of leadership. The overarching research questions of this study are: How do early childhood educational leaders come to be in positions of leadership? What career path have early childhood education leaders taken in order to get to their position of leadership? What experiences do early childhood educational leaders come to leadership positions with? Is there a specific path which early childhood education leaders have taken in order to get into positions of leadership? (Is there a pathway to becoming an early childhood education leader?) Arising from these stories were personal accounts of each participants experiences, professional roles and varied career journeys. Through interviewing the six early childhood education leaders, many other insights into leadership within early childhood education became evident. Early childhood education leadership arena includes many different positions of leadership across a range of early childhood education services and departments. As Rodd (2006) states leadership is shown in different ways and means different things to different people. This study explores current ideas and perspectives about leadership in early childhood education. This study tells the story of how early childhood education has been undervalued and women dominated which has led to different approaches and understanding about leadership and a lack of interest in this area by policymakers and authoritarian figures. In spite of this, strong leaders (and mainly women) have arisen through different pathways. These leaders are likely to view leadership differently and see models of leadership needing to be different for the context of early childhood education. Early childhood education needs good leadership particularly in light of the significant growth and changes within the sector; therefore it is imperative that leadership professional development is provided, and discussions about leadership become part of early childhood contexts

Testing the Integrated Theory of Health Behaviour Change for Postpartum Weight Management

Aim.  This is a report of a correlational study to test the Integrated Theory of Health Behaviour Change within the context of postpartum weight self‐management including the impact of race/ethnicity and weight classification. Background.  Women experiencing childbirth face increasing challenges to manage their weight postpartum. Little is known about women’s weight self‐management during the complex physiological and psychosocial transition of the postpartum period. Methods.  Data were collected during the birth hospitalization and 4 months postbirth during 2005 and 2006. A quota sample of 250 postpartum women using two strata, race/ethnicity and prepregnant weight classification, were enrolled; 179 women completed the follow‐up survey. A survey questionnaire measured concepts from the Integrated Theory of Health Behaviour Change concepts, including knowledge and beliefs (self‐efficacy, outcome expectancy and goal congruence), self‐regulation skills and abilities, and social facilitation (social support and social influence) and the proximal outcome of weight retention. Factor analysis identified 5 factors consistent with the theoretical concepts that accounted for 47·1% of total survey variance. Results.  Model testing using path analysis explored the relationship among factors. The final model explained 25·7% of the variance in self regulation at 4 months, but did not explain weight retention. The contribution of select concepts to total variance was different for Caucasian and African American women, but not by weight classification. Conclusions.  Findings support use of theoretical concepts and relationships to understand postpartum weight self‐management. The different relationships among concepts in Caucasian and African American women should be considered in planning targeted postpartum weight self‐management interventions

An Evaluation of Preexisting Psychiatric Diagnosis: Patient Outcomes in an Intensive Care Setting

Abstract BACKGROUND: Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual is able to acknowledge ability levels, cope with the normal stresses of life, be a productive member of society and contribute to the community. An important consideration for DNP prepared nurses is implementing principles of the Collaborative Care Model as a guiding framework to improve access to evidence-based mental health care in a medical care setting. PURPOSE: The purpose of this DNP project was to examine the demographic, clinical and treatment characteristics of patients with both medical and psychiatric diagnoses admitted to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a hospital in a large healthcare system located in a metropolitan area in the southeast United States. METHODS: For the study in this DNP project, an exploratory, descriptive design with a retrospective medical record review was conducted on 100 patients with both medical and psychiatric diagnosis admitted to the ICU between July 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018. This study was an exploration of demographic, clinical and treatment characteristics of patients with both a medical and psychiatric diagnosis admitted to the ICU during the study period. The relationships among and between the psychiatric medication reconciliation status, type of psychiatric treatments received, length of stay and discharge disposition of the study sample were explored. RESULTS: Those who had psychiatric diagnosis on admission were more likely to be female (60.0% vs. 40%), have a neurological condition as the admitting diagnosis (63%) and suffer from co-existing medical diagnosis including cardiac/pulmonary (83%). The nonexclusive, primary psychiatric diagnosis was anxiety (75%), follow by depression (63%) with nearly three quarters of the sample on a psychiatric medication prior to admission (71%). The most common psychiatric medication was an antidepressant/mood stabilizer (56%). There were no significant differences in admission diagnosis, co-existing medical diagnosis, restraint use, PRN medication use, psych consult, disposition or length of stay between those with and without psychiatric medications on admission. CONCLUSION: There remains limited research concerning collaborative care in the inpatient healthcare setting. The preliminary findings of this DNP project suggest the need for more exploratory research that can guide practice and policies to enhance care for patients with psychiatric and medical comorbidities in the ICU setting

Moderators of Academic Performance and Symptom Severity in Adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Research has documented the relationship between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptom severity and poor academic outcomes. However, few studies have focused on identifying moderating variables of academic performance specific to adolescents, especially those with ADHD. The current study seeks to address these limitations, further exploring moderators of academic outcomes in a clinical sample of adolescents with ADHD. Specifically, the present study examined adolescent ratings of routines, parent-adolescent conflict, perceptions of parental involvement, and school engagement, on the relationship between ADHD symptom severity and academic performance (GPA). The sample consisted of a total of 140 caregiver-adolescent dyads ranging from ages 11- to 17-years in a sample of adolescents with ADHD. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that adolescent report of school engagement moderated the relationship between ADHD symptom severity and adolescent GPA. Routines, parent-adolescent conflict, and perceptions of parental involvement were not supported as moderators of the relationship between ADHD symptom severity and academic outcomes

Photometric Investigations of Lunar Landing Sites and Silicic Regions using LRO Narrow Angle Camera Images

The reflectance properties of a planetary surface are related to the physical and compositional properties of that body. Photometry is a powerful method for determining differences in composition and regolith structure, and photometric data from orbital images coupled with soil sample data can greatly enhance our understanding of the regolith properties of our nearest neighbor, the Moon. At the time of writing, the United States has no operating missions on the Moon and no future plans to send robots or humans to study our nearest neighbor, so we must rely on remote sensing data to provide us with information about the lunar surface. This dissertation uses photometric studies of high-resolution Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) images and Hapke photometric modeling to understand the behavior and composition of lunar soil at spacecraft landing sites and areas of non-mare volcanism on the Moon. This work has implications for future mission planning and implementation, including landing site selection, landing safety, and sampling strategies. Topics include: i) the effects of rocket exhaust on lunar soil reflectance properties at the Apollo, Luna, and Surveyor landing sites, ii) photometric analysis of the recent Chang\u27e-3 landing site and comparison of reflectance alterations with those of older landing sites, and iii) compositional variations at regions of non-mare volcanism using NAC photometry and spectral analysis of glassy analog materials. Rocket exhaust from the Apollo, Luna, and Surveyor descent engines disturbed the regolith at their landing sites, causing the soil to become more reflective. These surface alterations, which we call blast zones , are still evident in NAC images, and I use photometry and Hapke modeling to show that the increase in reflectance was caused by smoothing, destruction of fine-scale surface structure (i.e., fairy-castle structure), and possibly redistribution of fine particles. The recent Chinese Chang\u27e-3 spacecraft also disturbed the soil at its landing site in the same fashion, and I show that the reflectance changes and area of disturbance are in family with those of older landing sites, indicating reflectance changes have not changed on the order of decades. I determine the relationship between lander mass and blast zone area and use this to make predictions of the area of soil disturbance for future missions. Finally, using photometric methods optimized from landing site studies, I place compositional constraints on areas of non-mare and intrusive volcanism and confirm that these areas exhibit a range of evolved silicic compositions (dacite, andesite, and rhyolite) and pyroclastic deposits, and should be considered as scientific targets for future landed sample-return missions

The Relationship Between Maternal Distress and Adjustment Problems in Adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: An Examination of Family Routines and Communication as Moderators

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common disorder in youth. The presence of comorbid internalizing and externalizing symptoms is a frequent occurrence in ADHD youth; comorbid symptoms are associated with poor adjustment into adolescence and negative trajectories into adulthood. There are many contributing factors in the development of comorbid symptoms (e.g., parental distress and family environment). Thus, it is important to understand the relationship between contributing factors and the ways in which family consistency helps to manage problem behaviors in adolescents with ADHD. One way to increase consistency is through the use of routines and positive communication. The present study examined whether the association between maternal distress and adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms was predicted by the presence of routines, and whether mother-adolescent conflict functioned as a predictor among associations as well. The sample consisted of 83 mother-adolescent dyads ranging from ages 11- to 17-years in a clinical sample of ADHD adolescents