Repeat Maltreatment in Alaska: Assessment and Exploration of Alternative Measures

Most deaths and serious injuries among children who are abused or neglected are preceded by multiple reported instances of maltreatment. The Office of Children Services (OCS), Alaska’s child protection agency, is very concerned about repeat maltreatment. It’s extremely damaging to children and demoralizing to everyone who tries to help prevent it. Over the last several years, Alaska has consistently had among the highest rates in the country of repeat child maltreatment, as reported by the Children’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Those federal figures measure the percentage of children who were the victims of at least two substantiated reports—that is, confirmed reports—of maltreatment within six months. In 2009, nearly 10% of children who were the subjects of investigation by OCS were reported as suffering repeat maltreatment, compared with less than 6% nationwide. By 2013, the share in Alaska was at nearly 13%, compared with a national rate of less than 5.5% (Figure S-1). But even those grim federal statistics don’t provide a complete picture of repeat child maltreatment in Alaska. Many analysts believe that not all cases where maltreatment may have occurred are substantiated, and that maltreatment of a child may be reported a number of times, over a longer period, before it is substantiated. Also, for various reasons, many reports of maltreatment are not investigated at all, in Alaska and other states, and only a small share of those that are investigated are substantiated. For example, in Alaska in 2013, 42% of reports in an average month were not investigated, and only 12% of reports were substantiatedExecutive Summary / Introduction / Definition of repeat maltreatment: some challenges / Data / Findings / Varying the indicator / Varying time periods / Demographics of repeatedly maltreated children / Discussion / Limitations and suggestions for future research / Conclusion / Reference

Perceptions of Universal Ballet Delivery Systems

A total of 412 registered voters in the Bethel, Dillingham, and Kusilvak Census Areas completed surveys with ISER interviewers in March and April of 2018. The majority (74%) of respondents reported their race as Alaska Native and 13% were White. Near the beginning of the survey, interviewers asked respondents how they preferred to receive their ballot and 60% said they preferred to get it in person on Election Day, 21% would prefer to receive it by mail, and 17% would prefer to receive their ballot online. After respondents heard a description of three voting methods being considered: 1) keep voting the way it is now; 2) mail out and mail back; and 3) receive ballot in the mail and have different ways to return it their preferences changed somewhat. Of the three methods, keep voting the way it is now was the first choice by 49% of respondents, followed by 36% for option 3, and 14% for option 2. Respondents had little experience with voting methods other than in-person. When asked what made it difficult for them and other members of their community to vote, personal reasons, such as being sick or out of town, was the most frequent (37%) response. About two-thirds (64%) reported personal reasons made it difficult for people in their community to vote followed by 46% saying that the ballot being written in English made it difficult for people in their community. Over half (56%) of respondents reported they are satisfied with their mail service, only 17% of those who were satisfied said they would prefer to receive or return their ballot by mail.Objectives of the Study / Summary / Background / Survey Findings / Methods/ Notes for Users of this Report / Conclusions / References / Appendix A: Voter turnout in Anchorage Municipality General Elections, 2008 - 2018 / Appendix B. Precincts and Communities within Census Areas / Appendix C. Preliminary Findings Report (May 7, 2018) / Appendix D. Survey Announcement Letter / Appendix E. Survey Reminder Postcard / Appendix F. Consent Form / Appendix G. Survey Questionnair

Trends in Age, Gender, and Ethnicity Among Children in Foster Care in Alaska

In Alaska, as in every other state, people who suspect children are being abused or neglected can contact the designated child protection agency. In Alaska, that agency is the Office of Children Services (OCS). It is responsible for investigating all reported incidents and determining the level of risk to the health, safety, and welfare of children. In a number of instances, children will be removed from their families and homes due to unsafe conditions, and they are often placed in foster care. 1 Being taken away from their families is of course traumatizing for children. The number of American children in foster care at any time, and the length of time they spend in foster care, has been closely watched over the last several decades. Several changes in policy and practice were introduced in the last 20 years, at national and state levels, to reduce both the number of children in foster care and the length of time they stay in foster care. These changes caused some dramatic trends at the national level: the number of children in foster care in the U.S. declined by almost a quarter (23.7%) between 2002 and 2012, with the decline being most pronounced among AfricanAmerican children (47.1%). As of 2012, African-American children made up 26% of all children in foster care nationwide, down from 37% a decade earlier. But during the same period, the proportion of children in foster care classified as belonging to two or more races almost doubled. And American Indian/Alaska Native children are the highest represented ethnic group among foster children—13 of every 1,000 American Indian/Alaska Native children in the U.S. were in foster care in 2012. In contrast, no such dramatic changes happened in Alaska in recent years. This paper reports on foster children in Alaska by age, gender, race, and region over the period 2006-2013. This information is important for state policymakers working to better protect abused and neglected children. At the end of the paper we discuss questions the data raise and describe additional data needed to better help children in foster care in Alaska. We compiled data for this analysis from monthly reports of key indicators on foster children in the state. OCS publishes monthly data on select indicators (Alaska State Statutes 2011, Monthly reports concerning children, AK. Stat. § 47.05.100), in PDF format on its website (http://dhss.alaska.gov/ocs/Pages/statistics/default.aspx). Data presented here are snapshots in time and do not follow unique children over time.Introduction / Summary of findings / How many children are in foster care, and where are they from? / How old are the children in foster care? / Boys or girls: Who is more likely to be in foster care? / Are Alaska Native children over-represented among children in foster care? / Discussion / Limitations / Note on population of OCS regions / Acknowledgement

Techno-Theology: A Theological Algorithm for Being Human in a Technological Age

In a world with rapidly changing technology that challenges our understanding of what it means to be human, our dealings with the biosphere, and our social interactions, many pastors and Christians do not have an adequate theology of technology. Our current narraphors have been influenced by our linguistics, popular culture, and an escapism theology that prevents us from interacting with technology in a theological way. Technotheology is the algorithm necessary to understand humanity’s role in a technological age through the matrix of the imago Dei. Using humanity’s ability to reason, their regency over creation, and their ability to be in relationship as the primary subroutines, technotheology explores emerging technologies, and what it means to be a creative human in an age of technological advancement, by providing insight to new technologies, asking probing theological, sociological, and ethical questions, and offering beneficial metaphors for the church

Unsex Me Here...: Looking at Gender in Nude Performance

Unsex Me Here… is an examination of our bodies, what they mean in terms of gender and power, and why they mean what they do. Plucked from Lady Macbeth’s infamous soliloquy, the title suggests the stripping away of something essential that transforms. Sex is not the right word, but gender is. Often, these two are mistaken and interchanged. Myths that support our social structure exist at the intersection of sex and gender. In this production, I collaborated with Pete Guither of the Living Canvas to challenge notions of gender in different textual mediums (via the written text of Shakespeare’s Macbeth and the text of the body itself) ultimately moving towards a space in which greater body understanding and acceptance exists. Our goal was a theatrical event that was both artistically beautiful and transformational not only for the artists involved in the process of making the piece but the audience as well

ADAPTATIVE EVOLUTION OF THE HEAT SHOCK RESPONSE IN ANTARCTIC CILIATES\ud

During my PhD, the general objective of my work was to\ud contribute to a better knowledge of the molecular basis of Heat Shock Response in eukaryotic microorganisms. In particular, I was interested in analyzing the plasticity of hsp70 gene expression in marine species of ciliates inhabiting the cold and thermally stable coastal sea water of Antarctica. Useful organism models for analysis of adaptation of gene expression were represented by two Antarctic species of Euplotes, E. focardii andE. nobilii, which showed up marked differences in their capacity\ud to activate hsp70 gene expression in response to thermal insults.\ud The specific aims of my PhD projects were:\ud 1. To perform a comparative analysis of hsp70 gene\ud structures (at level of coding and non-coding, regulatory\ud regions) between the two Antarctic species of Euplotes, E.\ud focardii and E. nobilii, with the ultimate goal to identify the causes of the unresponsiveness to thermal stress in E.\ud focardi. (Chapter 1)\ud 2. To perform a comparative analysis of hsp70 gene\ud structures (at level of coding and non coding, regulatory\ud regions) and a preliminary examination of the DNA-binding\ud activity of Heat Shock Factors by means of Electrophoretic\ud Mobility Shift Assay approaches in E. nobili and E. raikovi a species inhabiting temperate waters and thus, adapted to\ud a fluctuating thermal environment. The possibility to\ud compare the transcriptional machinery of closely related\ud species adapted to different thermal regimes, might\ud provide valuable clues for unraveling the molecular\ud mechanisms of transcription in the cold. (Chapter 2)\u

Feelings of coldness towards social groups : The revert to materialist values and the role of indifference

Perceptions of economic and security threats have recently led to a change in priorities in the Western world, placing the protection of one's own group well-being and safety over the importance attached to the defense of individual rights. Moreover, various studies have shown that such a reversal in priorities is associated with the rise of cold attitudes towards immigrants and minorities. The aim of the present research is to analyze the association between materialistic values and feelings of coldness towards various social groups, by considering the mediation effect of intergroup indifference, defined as being uncaring in regard to arbitrary policies affecting other social groups. The results supported the hypothesis. Materialistic values are indeed positively correlated with cold attitudes towards social groups, and this relationship is fully mediated by intergroup indifference. The results show that the study of intergroup dynamics should consider the role of intergroup indifference as it identifies a strategy of de-responsibilization that may be implemented blamelessly

Countering anti-democratic policies in democracies : the importance of value-oriented citizenship

Living in democratic systems may lead the citizens of those countries to be less vigilant of the policies enforced by their governments, with the risk of endorsing anti-democratic measures. Rights violations can indeed occur even in a democratic country. The aim of the present research is to understand whether people tend to be more accepting of repressive police actions when they occur in a country considered democratic than when they are perpetrated in a country considered authoritarian. Results on 363 Italian participants showed that participants were less ready to condemn a violent police intervention when it occurred in a country perceived to be democratic than in one considered to be less so. Moreover, as hypothesized, this paradox is supported more by people with a low value orientation, while people with a high value orientation do not accept intervention in either context. The implication of this research was to show the importance of considering theories that focus on the legitimacy of the authority's demands. Specifically, the political orientation theory emphasizes the importance of monitoring the policies issued even by established democracies to protect from their possible degeneration into autocracies

Molecular mechanisms of T helper 1 and T helper 2 cell development: differential signalling in response to Interleukin-12

Interleukin-12, a heterodimeric cytokine produced by activated monocytes and dendritic cells, plays a crucial role in regulating IFN-ү production and in the generation of IFN-ү producing T helper 1 cells. Here is shown that the IL-12Rß2 subunit, a recently cloned binding and signal transducing component of the IL- 12R, is expressed on human Thl but not Th2 clones, and is induced during differentiation of human naive T cells along the Thl but not the Th2 pathway. IL- 12 and IFN-a but not IFN-ү induce expression of the IL-12Rß2 chain during in vitro T cell differentiation following antigen receptor triggering, whereas IL-4 inhibits IL-12Rß2 transcription. Conversely, IFN-ү but not IFN-ɑ can rescue IL-12Rß2 mRNA expression and restore IL-12 responsiveness in early developing mouse Th2 cells. IFN-ɑ activity in humans is mediated by Stat4. The DNase Hypersensitive Site analysis allowed the characterisation of chromatin structure and accessibility of the IL-12Rß2 locus. Naive T cells as well as Th2 cells show a relative “closed” chromatin configuration, whereas Thl cells displayed an accessible chromatin configuration with a complex pattern of DNase Hypersensitivity. The characterisation of the DH sites selectively present in Thl cells allowed the identification of: i) a TATA-less, CpG rich, IL-12Rß2 minimal promoter ii) IL-12 and IFN-ɑ responsive enhancer regions. These regions contain GAS binding sites that not only bind Stat4, but also that are transcriptionally active. These data provide strong evidence that Stat4 plays a key role in the regulation of the Thl-specific expression of IL-12Rß2. Furthermore, the IL-12RP2 GAS. sites display a binding selectivity and do not efficiently bind Stat1. Thus, the week effects exerted by IFN-ү in humans on IL-12Rß2 gene regulation, and the consequent failure to induce Thl development, can be explained by the inefficient binding of the IFN-ү-induced Stat1 to the IL-12Rß2 GAS sites

Pour une histoire transnationale des expositions d’art ancien : Les Primitifs exposés à Bruges, Sienne, Paris et Düsseldorf (1902-1904)

À l’exception de quelques manifestations isolées à la fin du 19e siècle, l’exposition d’art ancien s’affirme au 20e comme l’une des expressions privilégiées de l’histoire de l’art. À la fois produit final d’un travail de conceptualisation et dispositif de visualisation d’un récit historique, l’exposition permet de « matérialiser » une hypothèse historiographique. Elle promeut une certaine interprétation de phénomènes ou d’époques donnés et va parfois jusqu’à constituer de nouveaux objets d’étude qui s’imposent à la communauté scientifique : c’est notamment le cas de grandes expositions de Primitifs qui ont lieu, presque simultanément, à Bruges, Sienne, Paris et Düsseldorf entre 1902 et 1904. Ces manifestations relèvent d’une internationalisation des biens culturels qui s’est produite en étroite imbrication avec la nationalisation des sociétés européennes. On se penche ici sur les différentes figures impliquées, sur leurs réseaux intellectuels et professionnels, nationaux et internationaux.Apart from a few isolated examples in the late 19th century, it was in the early decades of the 20th century that the Old Masters gained prominence in art history. Exhibitions, conceptualization processes and visualisation devices helped produce an historical hypothesis. Interpretations of certain phenomena or periods were proposed, sometimes producing nwe areas of study pertinent to the scientific community. This is the case of the great exhibitions of primitive painters that took place almost simultaneously in Bruges, Sienna, Paris and Düsseldorf between 1902 and 1904. These exhibitions arose within an internationalization of culture that occured along with the nationalization of European societies. This essay looks at the figures behind these efforts, examining their intellectual and professional interconnections, both on a national and international scale