Review and evaluation of the officer next door program

This research report was commissioned to assess and evaluate the criminal justice and business case for the Officer Next Door (OND) program. Since its establishment in 1998, the OND program has sought to provide Housing Tasmania residents with a reassurance policing approach based on early intervention in criminal and anti-social behaviour on Housing Tasmania broadacre estates. Despite its perceived success, the OND program has not been subject to a critical review or evaluation over the ten years of its operation. As such, the tenth anniversary of the program marks a timely occasion for establishing whether it represents a best practice model for promotion across other jurisdictions

Tracking the Transition from Welfare to Work

One of the primary goals of the 1996 federal welfare reform legislation was to reduce dependency on cash transfers and to promote self-sufficiency through employment in the paid labor force. This paper draws upon a qualitative study of 18 Iowa welfare recipients and tracks changes that occur over a three-year, post-reform period. Thick descriptions highlight the internal family dynamics of the choices made over time. The purposes of the study are twofold:first, to document changes in family composition, employment, housing, and program participation, and second, to report how recipients experience such changes. Findings reveal that the 11 families who left the cash benefit program were usually still dependent on Food Stamps, Medicaid, and other need-based programs to supplement family income. Income sources within families were often one or two low-wage jobs, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) payments. In addition, chronic health problems plagued most families still receiving cash benefits, and those cycling on and off cash benefits experienced frequent changes in employment and/or family composition

What is the functional outcome for the upper limb after stroke?

The Motor Assessment Scale (MAS) and the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) are commonly used in Australian rehabilitation centres but there have been few systematic studies using them to measure recovery after stroke, especially with regard to upper limb function. The aims of this study were to provide a profile of upper limb recovery in a non-surgical stroke population using measures of impairment and disability. The records of 153 subjects were audited for upper limb MAS sub-scores, the FIM sub-score for upper body dressing, and the total FIM score at admission and discharge from rehabilitation. Significant improvement occurred for all outcome measures. There was no relationship between the MAS scores and the functional task of upper body dressing. The results emphasize the importance of using outcome measures that assess both impairment and disability, and indicate that substantial improvements in upper limb function frequently occur after stroke. Although the MAS has limitations, it is a valuable tool for measuring upper limb outcome after stroke because it provides a more accurate profile of true upper limb recovery than the FIM

The Purification of the Memory According to St. John of the Cross

Thesis advisor: André BrouilletteThesis advisor: Steven PayneThesis (STL) — Boston College, 2022.Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry.Discipline: Sacred Theology

The right to be childfree

The number of couples who have voluntarily chosen not to have children has doubled in the last few decades, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, Census Bureau, (Kantrowitz, 1985). In 1960 the number of married women between the ages of twenty-five and twenty-nine who were childless totalled [sic] thirteen percent, which averaged one out of ten women (Kantrowitz, 1985). In 1985 the number of married women in the same age group who chose not to have children was twenty-nine percent, which averaged one out of every four women (Kantrowitz, 1985). The only option for married women, in the past, was motherhood, however this has changed. Consequently, there was a total of nearly 3.3 million women between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-four who had been married and who had never had a child (Kantrowitz, 1985)

A Pilot Partnership to Provide Health Information to Cancer Patients and Families

Objectives: McGoogan Library of Medicine at University of Nebraska Medical Center launched a pilot partnership with the new Resource and Wellness Center at Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center in Omaha, NE. The goals of this pilot were to provide patients and families with easy access to quality health information, assess the health information needs of cancer patients and their families, and explore the demand for library services in the resource center. Methods: From June 2017 through March 2018, library faculty and staff worked daily shifts at the Resource and Wellness Center and answered consumer health questions. Statistics were compiled on the number and type of health information questions received. Librarians also helped select consumer health books and brochures. The library gathered additional feedback through meetings with the Oncology Patient and Family Advisory Council, clinical staff, and health system administrators. Results: Library faculty and staff spent 656 hours at the Resource and Wellness Center and received thirty-two requests for consumer health information. Most questions were related to a specific type of cancer, resources for coping, and practical issues such as financial assistance for treatments. The resource center now has a small collection of print materials, and an index was created to assist staff with navigating the information materials when a librarian is not present. Meetings with stakeholder groups provided insight on the organizational culture of the cancer center, and recommendations for improving engagement with patients and families. Lessons learned during this pilot will be shared during the poster presentation. Conclusions: McGoogan Library adds value to the Resource and Wellness Center by providing patients, families, and staff with expertise in identifying and accessing quality health information to support cancer care. Feedback from stakeholders has affirmed the importance of the library’s continued involvement in this space. The pilot has helped make librarians more accessible to cancer patients and families and increased the number of consumer health information requests the library receives. Future activities will include creating new library marketing materials specific to cancer patients and health providers, continuing to develop the collection of print materials, implementing an evaluation form to assess patron satisfaction, and launching a pilot tablet-lending program

Small Towns and Welfare Reform: Iowa Case Studies of Families and Communities

Since passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) in 1996, public discussion of welfare reform and most research efforts to assess the effects of new policies have focused on urban areas. Major studies and frequent newspaper headlines have portrayed the dimensions of welfare reform in Los Angeles, Miami, Boston, and other urban settings (e.g., Burton et al. 1998; Quint et al. 1999). Little attention is being paid to the consequences of the new policies for rural families and communities.This book chapter is published as 2002 Fletcher, C. N., Flora, J. L., Gaddis, B. J., Winter, M., and J. S. Litt. “Small Towns and Welfare Reform: Iowa Case Studies of Families and Communities.” In Bruce A. Weber, Greg J. Duncan and Leslie A. Whitener (eds.) Rural Dimensions of Welfare Reform: Welfare, Food Assistance and Poverty in Rural America (pp. 201-229). Kalamazoo, MI: Upjohn Press. 10.17848/9781417508884 </p

Contrasting Ecosystem-Effects of Morphologically Similar Copepods

Organisms alter the biotic and abiotic conditions of ecosystems. They can modulate the availability of resources to other species (ecosystem engineering) and shape selection pressures on other organisms (niche construction). Very little is known about how the engineering effects of organisms vary among and within species, and, as a result, the ecosystem consequences of species diversification and phenotypic evolution are poorly understood. Here, using a common gardening experiment, we test whether morphologically similar species and populations of Diaptomidae copepods (Leptodiaptomus ashlandi, Hesperodiaptomus franciscanus, Skistodiaptomus oregonensis) have similar or different effects on the structure and function of freshwater ecosystems. We found that copepod species had contrasting effects on algal biomass, ammonium concentrations, and sedimentation rates, and that copepod populations had contrasting effects on prokaryote abundance, sedimentation rates, and gross primary productivity. The average size of ecosystem-effect contrasts between species was similar to those between populations, and was comparable to those between fish species and populations measured in previous common gardening experiments. Our results suggest that subtle morphological variation among and within species can cause multifarious and divergent ecosystem-effects. We conclude that using morphological trait variation to assess the functional similarity of organisms may underestimate the importance of species and population diversity for ecosystem functioning

Integrating education, group support, and case management for diabetic Hispanics

Objectives: Culturally tailored diabetes self-management education (DSME) improves glycemic control and other health outcomes in Mexican Americans but sociocultural barriers to health improvements remain. This study explored the feasibility of adding a nurse case manager (NCM) to DSME to foster DSME attendance and increase utilization of other available health care services. Design, setting and participants: The setting was a rural community on the Texas-Mexico border in one of the poorest counties in the United States. Using a repeated measures pretest, post-test control group design, we enrolled 165 Mexican American adults into: 1) an experimental group that received a DSME intervention plus access to a NCM; or 2) a control group that received DSME only. Results: Both experimental and control groups received the DSME intervention, reported positive changes in diet and physical activity, and showed improved clinical outcomes; there were no significant group differences. A statistically significant reduction in body mass index was seen in women compared to men, regardless of group or number of NCM contacts. For individuals having the most NCM contacts, DSME attendance rates were greater. Participants expressed acceptance of the NCM; they preferred face-to-face contact rather than by telephone. Conclusions: Our previously tested, culturally tailored DSME continues to be an effective strategy for improving glycemic control in Mexican Americans. This feasibility study provided partial support for the NCM model for underserved border communities, but additional research is needed on resource utilization and the nature of NCM contacts