Joint Maritime Operations

During this discussion, Professor Jane Stokes, will discuss the integration process of WPS material into JPME curriculum and how to nest contemporary security issues specifically into the Joint Maritime Operations (JMO) syllabus. Through the lens of a JMO professor, Professor Stokes will explain how WPS discussions on state stability and fragility provide an appropriate seminar topic related to the competition continuum. Prof Stokes will then conclude with remarks on the need for additional case study material and experienced based articles to further the depth of these classroom discussions.https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/wps/1008/thumbnail.jp

Time Limits In Missouri

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity and Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 dramatically altered the social safety net. The federal legislation ended cash assistance as an entitlement program, shifted the funding stream to state block grants, and introduced time limits for individuals receiving cash assistance. According to federal guidelines, persons may not receive cash assistance for more than 60 months. Although states possess the option of implementing shorter time limits, Missouri, like many other states, adopted the federal guidelines of 60 months. Other states varied on both the length of a periodic time limit and the lifetime limit. Arizona, for example, does not have a lifetime limit but does not allow for more than 24 months of cash assistance within a 60 month period of time. Because of these variations in guidelines, the largest number of cases closed due to time limits are concentrated in states with shorter time limits such as Connecticut (21 months), Idaho (24 months), and Utah (36 months). Missouri's welfare plan was signed into law on July 1, 1997 and because of that time limits were first exhausted in July, 2002. This brief provides specific information regarding caseload trends in Missouri, including the length of time cases have been receiving benefits, the number of cases reaching the time limits, and the geographic distribution of case closures in Missouri.Includes bibliographical referece

Use of Cash Assistance by Non-Citizens in Missouri

"07-2005."The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) set in place restrictions on many forms of assistance, including cash grants or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). Specifically, these new federal guidelines limited assistance for certain categories of immigrants, most notably those who entered the country after the federal welfare bill was signed in August of 1996. Most of these immigrants were required to have a five year minimum waiting period before they were eligible for cash assistance. However, as with most provisions, states had some ability to modify federal regulations. In Missouri, several groups of non-citizens are allowed to receive TANF. First, non-citizens who were in the country prior to August 22, 1996, and who otherwise meet criteria, maintained their eligibility. Additionally, certain groups who entered the country after August 22, 1996, were also classified as eligible. These included: refugees, asylees, and trafficking victims. According to a report by the Urban Institute, Missouri has a rather extensive safety net system still in place for immigrants, and is ranked among the top quarter of all states (Tumlim, Zimmerman, and Ost 1999). Given these changes, it is important to understand the situation of non-citizens with regard to the safety net in Missouri. How many non-citizens are receiving benefits? Where do they live in Missouri? In this brief, we assess patterns of cash assistance for non-citizens from 1999 to 2003. We find that, overall, noncitizens represent a very small percentage of the caseload, less than five percent at the peak in early 1999. Additionally, cases headed by non-citizens have declined substantially over the time studied, both in terms of raw numbers and relative to cases headed by citizens. The reason for the decline can not be known with certainty, but increased rates of naturalization have played a role. Finally, the non-citizen cases are not spread evenly across the state, but are concentrated in several counties, particularly those that have experienced recent increases in immigration.Includes bibliographical reference

Focus Groups on Infant Care Practices in Missouri

The goal of this research project was to better understand how individuals, primarily low-income African-American parents in Missouri, make decisions on infant care practices, specifically those focused around feeding and sleeping

Feeding skills and the effect of injury on wild chimpanzees

While gorillas and orangutans have been shown to display considerable manual skill in obtaining certain plant foods, complex feeding skills in chimpanzees have only been described in the restricted context of tool use. This thesis provides the first study of plant-processing skills in a non-tool using community of chimpanzees in Budongo Forest, Uganda. Furthermore, this community contains over 20% of individuals with upper or lower limb injuries. The strategies used by injured individuals in compensating for injury were investigated through a comparison of feeding skill between the able-bodied and injured population. A cognitive approach to feeding behaviour in chimpanzees was adopted, with respect to the implications this may have for overcoming the effects of injury. Chimpanzees were found to employ a broad range of skills in feeding, reflecting variation in their environment and in their diet. Three food types were examined, each illustrating a particular aspect of feeding skill. In processing leaves of Broussonettia papyrifera, chimpanzees use complex multi-stage feeding techniques, employ bimanual co-ordination at several stages and elicit behaviour that is hierarchical in overall organisation. Able-bodied individuals show considerable standardisation in their feeding with a preference for two techniques. In contrast, when feeding on figs, chimpanzees rely upon simple processing techniques but at the same time employ strategies that serve to minimize the effects of feeding competition. In the case of Ficus mucuso chimpanzees co-ordinate several handfuls of food simultaneously between limbs, and with Ficus sur, chimpanzees display a range of dynamic feeding postures and positions in order to access food patches and increase relative food availability. No significant hand preferences were found in any of the three feeding tasks. Even the most severe of injuries does not result in a decline in feeding efficiency, and the possible mechanisms contributing to this were addressed. Injured individuals were found not to invent novel solutions to familiar tasks, but instead to modify their existing repertoire in order to work around their injuries, thus sharing the program-level organisation observed in able-bodied individuals and compensating at the level of individual actions. However, the physical limitations imposed by the injured limb considerably reduce bimanual coordination and manoeuvrability in the tree, which may have long-term negative implications

Gender differences in emotionality and sociability in children with autism spectrum disorders

BackgroundFour times as many males are diagnosed with high functioning autism compared to females. A growing body of research that focused on females with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) questions the assumption of gender invariance in ASD. Clinical observations suggest that females with ASD superficially demonstrate better social and emotional skills than males with ASD, which may camouflage other diagnostic features. This may explain the under-diagnosis of females with ASD.MethodsWe hypothesised that females with ASD would display better social skills than males with ASD on a test of friendship and social function. One hundred and one 10- to 16-year-olds (ASD females, n&thinsp;=&thinsp;25; typically developing (TD) females, n&thinsp;=&thinsp;25; ASD males, n&thinsp;=&thinsp;25; TD males, n&thinsp;=&thinsp;26) were interviewed (using the friendship questionnaire (FQ)) with high scores indicating the child has close, empathetic and supportive relationships. One parent of each child completed the FQ to assess whether there are differences in perception of friendships between parents and children.ResultsIt was found that, independent of diagnosis, females demonstrated higher scores on the FQ than males. Further, regardless of gender, children with ASD demonstrated lower scores than TD children. Moreover, the effect of ASD was independent of gender. Interestingly, females with ASD and TD males displayed similar scores on the FQ.ConclusionsThis finding is supported by clinical reports that females with ASD have more developed social skills than males with ASD. Further research is now required to examine the underlying causes for this phenomenon in order to develop gender-appropriate diagnostic criteria and interventions for ASD.<br /

Innovation through reflection and collaboration: Students and clinicians learn side by side

The SLT programme run collaboratively by University of Greenwich and Canterbury Christ Church Universities, the Universities at Medway programme, is always looking for ways of bringing students together with experienced clinicians. Projects shared by practising clinicians and student practitioners provide rich learning opportunities. The Maori concept of “ako” - to learn is to teach and to teach is to learn - has profoundly influenced our approach to practice education. We feel that wisdom gets passed to students most effectively through the conversations that practitioners have about clients in context

Video Use in Reflective Practice: Experience from Educating Speech and Language Therapists

This case study shares the experiences of speech and language therapy lecturers in higher education using video with students and practitioners to support reflective practice. The authors believe that video forms a fundamental role in developing the core skills of health, social and education professionals. Frequently teachers in higher education and students alike present with a reluctance to engage with the use of video. Possible reasons for this are discussed. The importance of careful preparatory and debriefing sessions is emphasized, as is the need for an observation schedule. The key ingredients to ensuring that video is effective as a learning tool as well as the challenges are examined. The experience may well have resonance with others in higher education involved in the development of critical reflection associated with students communication and interaction

Community context and individual factors associated with arrests among young men in a South African township.

BackgroundIn high-income countries, individual- and community-level factors are associated with increased contact with the criminal justice system. However, little is known about how these factors contribute to the risk of arrest in South Africa, which has one of the highest rates of arrests globally. We examine both individual- and community-level factors associated with arrests among young men living in the townships of Cape Town.MethodsData were collected from a stratified community sample of 906 young men aged 18-29 years old living in 18 township neighborhoods. Communities with high and low rates of arrest were identified. Logistic regression models were used to assess which individual-level (such as substance use and mental health status) and community-level (such as infrastructure and presence of bars and gangs) factors predict arrests.ResultsSignificant predictors of arrests were substance use, gang activity, being older, more stressed, and less educated. Living in communities with better infrastructure and in more recently established communities populated by recent immigrants was associated with having a history of arrests.ConclusionsWhen considering both individual- and community-level factors, substance use and gang violence are the strongest predictors of arrests among young men in South Africa. Unexpectedly, communities with better infrastructure have higher arrest rates. Community programs are needed to combat substance use and gang activity as a pathway out of risk among South African young men.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov registration #NCT02358226, registered Nov 24, 2014

Assessing victim risk in cases of violent crime

Purpose: There is a body of evidence that suggests a range of psychosocial characteristics demarcate certain adults to be at an elevated risk for victimisation. To this end, the aim of the current study was to examine consistency between one police force, and a corresponding victim support service based in England, in their assessment of level of risk faced by victims of violent crime. Methodology: This study explored matched data on 869 adult victims of violent crime gathered from these two key services in Preston, namely Lancashire Constabulary and Victim Support, from which a sub-group of comparable ‘domestic violence’ cases (n=211) were selected for further examination. Findings: Data analyses revealed methodological inconsistencies in the assessment of victimisation resulting in discrepancies for recorded levels of risk in domestic violence cases across these two agencies. Practical implications: These findings provide a compelling argument for developing a more uniformed approach to victim assessment and indicate a significant training need. Value: This paper highlights areas of good practice and forwards several recommendations for improved practice that emphasises the integration of empirical research conducted by psychologists to boost the validity and reliability of risk assessment approaches and tools used