Criminal psychology : a critical textual analysis : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University

The criminal justice system plays an important role in the reproduction of social power relations, and it embodies an official response to the problem of interpersonal violence. Andrews and Bonta's (2003) The Psychology of Criminal Conduct is an influential text in this setting, informing the Psychological Services of New Zealand's Department of Corrections, and serving as a key text in the training of psychologists for work in this field. The present study is a critical reading of Andrews and Bonta's (2003) text in relation to the problem of violence. This critical reading begins with the development of a theoretical context for analysis. A subsequent analysis of the text focuses on three prominent discursive themes: a construction of the text's rational empiricism, of its advocating for treatment over punishment of offenders, and of the tension between critical and mainstream accounts of psychology in criminal justice settings. The relationship of these themes to discourses of violence is discussed

Appearance potential spectroscopy of layer materials

Imperial Users onl

ATPase cycle and DNA unwinding kinetics of RecG helicase

The superfamily 2 bacterial helicase, RecG, is a monomeric enzyme with a role in DNA repair by reversing stalled replication forks. The helicase must act specifically and rapidly to prevent replication fork collapse. We have shown that RecG binds tightly and rapidly to four-strand oligonucleotide junctions, which mimic a stalled replication fork. The helicase unwinds such DNA junctions with a step-size of approximately four bases per ATP hydrolyzed. To gain an insight into this mechanism, we used fluorescent stopped-flow and quenched-flow to measure individual steps within the ATPase cycle of RecG, when bound to a DNA junction. The fluorescent ATP analogue, mantATP, was used throughout to determine the rate limiting steps, effects due to DNA and the main states in the cycle. Measurements, when possible, were also performed with unlabeled ATP to confirm the mechanism. The data show that the chemical step of hydrolysis is the rate limiting step in the cycle and that this step is greatly accelerated by bound DNA. The ADP release rate is similar to the cleavage rate, so that bound ATP and ADP would be the main states during the ATP cycle. Evidence is provided that the main structural rearrangements, which bring about DNA unwinding, are linked to these states

Giving everyone a fish: COVID-19 and the new politics of distribution

In response to widescale job losses produced by the COVID.19 pandemic, states have drastically expanded social protections, primarily through cash transfer programs. Drawing from James Ferguson's notion of distributional politics, this reflection analyzes the meaning of this rapid global expansion of the welfare state and the political opportunities it provides. Based on two seemingly disparate cases, South Africa and Canada, I suggest that these expansions provide valuable opportunities for rethinking existing approaches to livelihoods, labour and social protection. These interventions also provide political possibilities through which a more radically redistributive politics can be articulated. In both contexts, state responses have provoked new challenges, dialogues, and experiments in distribution at multiple scales, from the neighbourhood to the nation state. This reflection calls for deeper inquiry into the multiple meanings of cash transfers and the political openings they provide. Finally, it provides guiding questions for future anthropological inquiry into livelihoods and social protection

Developing a Strategic Model for Deacons as Servant Leaders within New Church Plants

The office of deacon is vital within the local church and often varies from one congregation to another. There are many misconceptions concerning the role and responsibilities of deacons. The Bible clearly defines deacons as those who function as servant leaders. The purpose of this project is to address the biblical, theoretical, practical and personal observations that will assist new church plants in equipping potential candidates for the office of deacon, as servant leaders. The project will address vital areas of deacon ministry that will include; discovering the history of deacon ministry, the biblical qualifications for a deacon, the relationship of the deacon to the pastor, and how a deacon is to serve within the local church. The project will address the biblical analysis of leadership. The project will examine the earthly life and ministry of Jesus Christ and demonstrate why He is the perfect model of servant leadership. The writer will survey new church planters to identify their knowledge and understanding of deacons as servant leaders. The data gleaned from the surveys will be utilized to assist pastors in adopting strategic deacon training as an added resource within new church plants. In a new church plant, the value of training and equipping deacons as servant leaders will lay a foundation that will build and foster effective leadership for years to come

DOES SPACE MATTER? AN INVESTIGATION OF THE SPATIAL VARIATION IN GESTATIONAL WEIGHT GAIN ASSOCIATIONS WITH COUNTRY OF BIRTH AMONG HISPANIC WOMEN AND ACCESS TO CARE IN TEXAS

Inadequate and excess gestational weight gain (GWG) are serious, but potentially preventable adverse pregnancy outcomes which affect as many as two-thirds of pregnant women in the United States. While location and space are associated with a variety of pregnancy outcomes, limited research has investigated potential spatial variation in GWG. The goal of this research is to improve the knowledge of how spatial geography is associated with GWG through secondary analyses of 70,000 to 160,000 birth certificate registry records for Texas mothers with a live birth delivery in 2014. Specifically, this research attempts to assess whether access to obstetrics and gynecologist (OBGYN) providers and country of birth among Hispanic women were associated with gestational weight gain. Overall, this research indicates that space is important in understanding GWG, though the significance of space depends on the studied risk factor. Analyses of women in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugarland Metropolitan Statistical Area revealed that potential geographic access to OBGYN providers was not associated with inadequate or excess GWG; although, there was variation in the odds of inadequate or excess GWG in the area. Additionally, analyses of Hispanic women demonstrated statistically significant variation in the association between maternal county of birth and total GWG. Patterns indicated that foreign-born maternal birth compared to maternal birth in the United States is associated with increased total GWG along the Texas-Mexico border and in rural areas in Texas with a shift to less GWG along the Texas I-35 corridor and in northwest Texas. Consistent across the research was the importance of the association between prepregnancy weight and GWG. While space is important to understanding GWG, this research reveals that prepregnancy weight may be the key factor in controlling GWG. Few studies explore spatial variation in GWG and this was the first to explore variation within Texas which could show variation in studied maternal characteristics across the entire state. Public health researchers may utilize methods from this research as a template for incorporating spatial components into their research as space may improve the modelling process and elucidate the role of studied health characteristics, investigate the possibility of a threshold effect for geographic access to care, and explore the role of spatial variation in the Hispanic Paradox

Greenhead Stories: People, Place and Sharing Authority Across Cultural Lines

The Greenhead Stories project sought to bring a range of voices together to discuss the shared space of Greenhead Park, a Victorian park just a short walk beyond Huddersfield’s town centre. Over the course of its history, the park has been the home of many day-to-day leisure activities, as well as serving as a public gathering place for much larger events including silent marches, charity fundraisers, and a number of cultural festivals. In the last few years, local residents have witnessed huge changes to the park after a multi-million pound restoration grant was donated by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Over the course of the restoration, the project aimed to record public memories surrounding the park during a time at which physical evidence of the park’s past was disrupted. In addition to collecting memories of place, the project employed a ‘shared authority’ methodology through a collaborative recording and contextual documentation process. Beyond the content of what was recorded, the Greenhead Stories project set out to explore the possibilities of building a contextual digital archive as a means of addressing some of the dilemmas currently facing oral history theory and practice. Through building partnerships with local organisations and working with the many different communities who share the space, the project aimed to record a broad history of the park, and explore the ways in which the space is a part of both individual and collective memory in Huddersfield. This dissertation, along with the accompanying digital archive and audiowalk, highlights the project’s historical and methodological findings, and in doing so provides solutions to some of the dilemmas and questions facing oral history theory today