Evaluation of the ACT Sexual Assault Reform Program (SARP)

In 2005 the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) produced a report, Responding to sexual assault: The challenge of change (DPP & AFP 2005), which made 105 recommendations for reforming the way sexual offence cases are handled by the ACT’s criminal justice system. The Sexual Assault Reform Program (SARP) is one key initiative developed in response to these recommendations. Managed by the ACT Justice and Community Safety Directorate (JACS), SARP’s main objective is to improve aspects of the criminal justice system relating to: processes and support for victims of sexual offences as they progress through the system; attrition in sexual offence matters in the criminal justice system; and coordination and collaboration among the agencies involved. In November 2007 the ACT Attorney-General announced $4 million of funding for several SARP reforms. This funding provided for additional victim support staff; a dedicated additional police officer, prosecutor and legal policy officer; and an upgrade of equipment for the Supreme Court and Magistrates Court, including improvements in technology to assist witnesses in giving evidence, and the establishment of an off-site facility to allow witnesses to give evidence from a location outside of the court. In addition, the reform agenda included a number of legislative amendments that changed how evidence can be given by victims of sexual and family violence offences, children and other vulnerable witnesses. The primary objectives of these legislative changes are to provide an unintimidating, safe environment for vulnerable witnesses (including sexual offence complainants) to give evidence and to obtain prompt statements from witnesses to improve the quality of evidence captured (DPP 2009: 13)

Indigenous youth justice programs evaluation

In this report, four programs that were already being implemented by states and territories and identified by them under the National Indigenous Law & Justice Framework as promising practice in diversion are examined. Executive summary Diversion from the youth justice system is a critical goal for addressing the overrepresentation of Indigenous young people in the criminal justice system. In this report, four programs that were already being implemented by states and territories and identified by them under the National Indigenous Law & Justice Framework as promising practice in diversion are examined. The programs were evaluated, as part of a broader initiative, to determine whether and on what basis they represent good practice (ie are supported by evidence). State and territory governments nominated the programs for evaluation. The four programs sit at different points along a continuum, ranging from prevention (addressing known risk factors for offending behaviour, such as disengagement from family, school, community or culture), early intervention (with identified at-risk young people), diversion (diverting from court process—usually for first or second time offenders) and tertiary intervention (treatment to prevent recidivism): • Aboriginal Power Cup (South Australia)—a sports-based program for engaging Indigenous young people in education and providing positive role models (prevention). • Tiwi Islands Youth Development and Diversion Unit (Northern Territory)—a diversion program that engages Tiwi youth who are at risk of entering the criminal justice system in prevention activities, such as a youth justice conference, school, cultural activities, sport and recreation (early intervention and diversion). • Woorabinda Early Intervention Panel Coordination Service (Queensland)—a program to assess needs and make referrals for young Indigenous people and their families who are at risk or have offended and have complex needs (early intervention and diversion). • Aggression Replacement Training (Queensland)—a 10 week group cognitivebehavioural program to control anger and develop pro-social skills, delivered to Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth assessed as ‘at risk’ of offending or reoffending (early intervention and tertiary intervention with offenders to reduce risk of reoffending). For each program, the evaluation team developed a ‘program logic’, identifying the activities and goals of the program, and how it articulates within a broader framework of criminal justice prevention. This informed the design of the evaluation and the approach to collecting both qualitative data (from young people participating in the program, program staff, family, or other service providers/community members) and quantitative data to identify any effects of the program on individuals, or the broader community

North Carolina kindergarten teachers and developmentally appropriate instructional practices : a phenomenological study

The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of kindergarten teachers as they worked to implement a developmentally appropriate approach to teaching. Their stories included details related to the support they receive as well as detailed descriptions of the many barriers faced during a time when accountability is very high. As teachers with a high value for developmentally appropriate practice, they experienced cognitive dissonance when circumstances arose to limit their ability to use the best practices they favored. These practices included differentiation of instruction; provision for active and meaningful learning experiences; small group instruction; the use of centers that supported language development; problem solving; development of social skills; literacy and numeracy skills; as well as learning through play—all practices carefully planned to recognize and honor how children learn best. Mandates requiring the teachers to use scripted curriculum programs were a strong source of the dissonance. These programs were designed to reflect a more academically structured approach to teaching. Instruction was required to be delivered in a whole group setting, with little effort to differentiate instruction. Learning was more passive in nature with children being required to sit for long blocks of time working at tables or desks completing worksheets. The teachers found creative ways to tweak the mandated curriculum to make them more age and grade appropriate. Other barriers reported by teachers included the lack of professional development aligned specifically to their needs, the lack of collegial collaboration, and the inappropriate expectations of parents and first grade teachers. Teachers indicated that they wanted their administrators to be knowledgeable about early childhood education and child development. They wanted to receive meaningful feedback to help them improve their instructional practice. The teachers reported feeling that kindergarten did not appear to be a highly valued component of the educational program. It did appear to them that more attention and more resources were regularly aimed at tested grade levels. The teachers were also concerned about not having a voice in decisions that directly affected them. The major source of support for the teachers came from a group organized by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction known as The Power of Kindergarten. The teachers in the study were among the members of this group. Strong collegiality, gaining a sense of professional empowerment, and focused professional development were reported by the teachers as being important outcomes of their experiences with Power of K

Assessing the future threat from vivax malaria in the United Kingdom using two markedly different modelling approaches

Background: The world is facing an increased threat from new and emerging diseases, and there is concern that climate change will expand areas suitable for transmission of vector borne diseases. The likelihood of vivax malaria returning to the UK was explored using two markedly different modelling approaches. First, a simple temperature-dependent, process-based model of malaria growth transmitted by Anopheles atroparvus, the historical vector of malaria in the UK. Second, a statistical model using logistic-regression was used to predict historical malaria incidence between 1917 and 1918 in the UK, based on environmental and demographic data. Using findings from these models and saltmarsh distributions, future risk maps for malaria in the UK were produced based on UKCIP02 climate change scenarios. Results: The process-based model of climate suitability showed good correspondence with historical records of malaria cases. An analysis of the statistical models showed that mean temperature of the warmest month of the year was the major factor explaining the distribution of malaria, further supporting the use of the temperature-driven processed-based model. The risk maps indicate that large areas of central and southern England could support malaria transmission today and could increase in extent in the future. Confidence in these predictions is increased by the concordance between the processed-based and statistical models. Conclusion: Although the future climate in the UK is favourable for the transmission of vivax malaria, the future risk of locally transmitted malaria is considered low because of low vector biting rates and the low probability of vectors feeding on a malaria-infected person

Magnetic instability in a sheared azimuthal flow

We study the magneto-rotational instability of an incompressible flow which rotates with angular velocity Omega(r)=a+b/r^2 where r is the radius and $a$ and b are constants. We find that an applied magnetic field destabilises the flow, in agreement with the results of Rudiger & Zhang 2001. We extend the investigation in the region of parameter space which is Rayleigh stable. We also study the instability at values of magnetic Prandtl number which are much larger and smaller than Rudiger & Zhang. Large magnetic Prandtl numbers are motivated by their possible relevance in the central region of galaxies (Kulsrud & Anderson 1992). In this regime we find that increasing the magnetic Prandtl number greatly enhances the instability; the stability boundary drops below the Rayleigh line and tends toward the solid body rotation line. Very small magnetic Prandtl numbers are motivated by the current MHD dynamo experiments performed using liquid sodium and gallium. Our finding in this regime confirms Rudiger & Zhang's conjecture that the linear magneto-rotational instability and the nonlinear hydrodynamical instability (Richard & Zahn 1999) take place at Reynolds numbers of the same order of magnitude.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Topographical variation reduces phenological mismatch between a butterfly and its nectar source

© 2014, Springer International Publishing Switzerland. The timing of many biological events, including butterfly imago emergence, has advanced under climate change, with the rate of these phenological changes often differing among taxonomic groups. Such inter-taxa variability can lead to phenological mismatches. For example, the timing of a butterfly’s flight period may become misaligned with a key nectar resource, potentially increasing the extinction risk to both species. Here we fit statistical models to field data to determine how the phenology of the marbled white butterfly, Melanargia galathea, and its main nectar source, greater knapweed, Centaurea scabiosa, have changed over recent years at three sites across the UK. We also consider whether topographical diversity affects C. scabiosa’s flowering period. At our focal site, on the species’ northern range limit, we find that over a 13-year period the onset of C. scabiosa’s flowering period has become later whilst there is no obvious trend over time in the onset of M. galathea’s flight period. In recent years, butterflies have started to emerge before their key nectar source was available across most of the site. This raises the intriguing possibility that phenological mismatch could be an unrecognised determinant of range limits for some species. However, the presence of topographical diversity within the site decreased the chance of a mismatch occurring by increasing the length of the flowering period by up to 14days. We suggest that topographical diversity could be an important component in minimising phenological mismatches under future climate change

Village Responses to Food Marketing Alternatives in Northern Zambia: The Case of the Mambwe Economy

SUMMARY This article assesses the relative merits of two styles in food marketing from the perspective of small?scale producer?sellers in rural Zambia. Of the alternatives — state?controlled maize cropping; free?market bean sales — the latter has been viewed as ‘obviously’ preferable. The author challenges this view, arguing that the seemingly inferior alternative (hybrid maize) cannot be dropped from the local food system where it has become a substitute for the very labour?intensive ‘traditional’ millet. This production function explains why maize is locally perceived as a valuable crop in spite of the poor infrastructure for providing inputs and for collection. SOMMAIRE Cet article évalue les mérites relatifs aux deux styles de mise en marché d'aliments dans la perspective des producteurs?vendeurs à petite échelle en Zambie rurale. Des deux alternatives — culture de mais contrôlée par l'état: vente libre d'haricots — on a retenu la dernière étant ‘évidemment’ préférable L'auteur conteste ce choix argumentant que l'alternative semblant inférieur (le maïs hybride) ne peut être abandonnée du système local d'alimentation, puisque cela constitue un substitut au travail intensif du millet ‘traditionnel’. Cette fonction de production explique pourquoi la culture du mais est perçue localement comme étant valable en dépit de la pauvreté de l'infrastructure fournissant les apports et facilitant la vente. RESUMEN Este artículo destaca los méritos relativos de dos estilos de comercialización alimenticia desde la perspectiva de los productores?vendedores en la Zambia rural. El autor desafía la creencia de que la venta de frejoles en el libre mercado es ‘obviamente’ preferible al cultivo del maíz controlado por el estado. Argumenta, por el contrario, que el maíz híbrido — alternativa aparentemente inferior — no puede eliminarse del sistema alimentario local, donde se ha convertido en un substituto del ‘tradicional’ mijo, muy intensivo en mano de obra Esta función de producción explica por qué el maíz es percibido localmente como un valioso cultivo, pese a la pobre infraestructura existente para proveer insumos y para la recolección

A multi-wavelength survey of AGN in the XMM-LSS field: I. Quasar selection via the KX technique

AIMS: We present a sample of candidate quasars selected using the KX-technique. The data cover 0.68 deg^2 of the X-ray Multi-Mirror (XMM) Large-Scale Structure (LSS) survey area where overlapping multi-wavelength imaging data permits an investigation of the physical nature of selected sources. METHODS: The KX method identifies quasars on the basis of their optical (R and z') to near-infrared (Ks) photometry and point-like morphology. We combine these data with optical (u*,g'r',i',z') and mid-infrared (3.6-24 micron) wavebands to reconstruct the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of candidate quasars. RESULTS: Of 93 sources selected as candidate quasars by the KX method, 25 are classified as quasars by the subsequent SED analysis. Spectroscopic observations are available for 12/25 of these sources and confirm the quasar hypothesis in each case. Even more, 90% of the SED-classified quasars show X-ray emission, a property not shared by any of the false candidates in the KX-selected sample. Applying a photometric redshift analysis to the sources without spectroscopy indicates that the 25 sources classified as quasars occupy the interval 0.7 < z < 2.5. The remaining 68/93 sources are classified as stars and unresolved galaxies.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, A&A 494, p. 579-589. Replaced with published version. Fig. 9 in first astro-ph submission has been update