Women's secure hospital services: national bed numbers and distribution.

A mapping exercise as part of a pathway study of women in secure psychiatric services in the England and Wales was conducted. It aimed to (i) establish the extent and range of secure service provision for women nationally and (ii) establish the present and future care needs and pathways of care of women mentally disordered offenders (MDO) currently in low, medium and enhanced medium secure care. The study identified 589 medium secure beds, 46 enhanced medium secure beds (WEMSS) and 990 low secure beds for women nationally. Of the 589 medium secure beds, the majority (309, 52%) are in the NHS and under half (280, 48%) are in the independent sector (IS). The distribution of low secure beds is in the opposite direction, the majority (745, 75%) being in the IS and 254 (25%) in the NHS. Medium secure provision for women has grown over the past decade, but comparative data for low secure provision are not available. Most women are now in single sex facilities although a small number of mixed sex units remain. The findings have implications for the future commissioning of secure services for women

Schooling, Inequality, and the Impact of Government

Analyses of income inequality have identified the importance of increased demand for worker skills, but characterizations of worker skills by the amount of schooling attained do not capture important aspects of the widening income distribution and of the stagnating relative wages of black workers. This paper is motivated by the possibility that schooling quality is an important component of the changing income distribution. The central analysis focuses on how governmental schooling policies particularly those related to the level and distribution of school spending affect the distribution of worker quality and of income. The substantial differences in spending across states are not significantly related to the variations in achievement growth across states. Further, the three decade old movement toward reducing the variation in school spending within states appears to have done nothing to reduce subsequent income variations of workers. Thus, the direct government policies toward school spending, as carried out in the past, have not ameliorated inequalities in incomes.

Purchasing Strategies to Improve Care Management for Complex Populations: A National Scan of State Purchasers

Explores cost-effective alternatives to fee-for-service plans and full-risk managed care for Medicaid's aged, blind, and disabled or Supplementary Security Income beneficiaries. Includes summaries of systems being implemented in twelve states

The Effect of Price on Within-Year Persistence

Researchers disagree on the impact of financial aid on student persistence. This paper describes the development and testing of an econometric model that allows any institution to study the effect of aid and other variables on within-year persistence. Among the five conclusions reached are that both the total amount of aid, and the amounts of grants and loans are significant in promoting persistence

Graphitic Surface Attachment by Single-Stranded DNA and Metal Nanoparticles

Graphene and carbon nanotubes are extreme mechanical and electronic materials which have been the subjects of intense study and development since their discoveries. While many of their intrinsic properties have been discovered, their interactions with other materials are only beginning to be explored. The noncovalent binding of single-stranded DNA oligonucleotides to carbon nanotubes and graphene has been seen to give rise to effective gas sensors. We examine similar systems to each of these in turn, imaging carbon nanotubes decorated with single-stranded DNA in Transmission Electron Microscope, and performing X-ray reflectivity of a single-stranded DNA film on graphite. The TEM study shows that the DNA bunches up along tubes but does not tend to clump on single tubes. Helical wrapping is not seen on single tubes. X-ray reflectivity shows that DNA on a graphite surface forms an inhomogeneous layer around 1.6 nm thick. The differences between the various thicknesses of few-layer graphene are substantial though often underappreciated. These differences are highlighted in the system of several-nanometer metal particles on few-layer graphene flakes. We formed such particles by evaporation and annealing, then examined them in Scanning Electron Microscope. We found that gold nanoparticles were circular and experienced limited growth, with the radius varying as the number of layers to the 1/3 power. A theoretical explanation is given for this observation, based on an electrostatic interaction. This theory is also consistent with observations for titanium and silver nanoparticles. Ytterbium nanoparticles on graphene form instead into filaments. A related theory is presented showing that the same electrostatic interaction is capable of overcoming surface tension to deform particles from circularity

Using multicultural read aloud books to support student understanding of character education themes

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of using multicultural read aloud books during character education lessons in a second grade classroom. Six character education themes were paired with six multicultural picture books. Prior to reading these texts, students were asked to explain what they already knew about the targeted character traits in a writing activity. After reading, students discussed with a partner and then shared their thoughts with the whole group. Students completed a post-reading activity, by writing to explain what they learned about that character trait from the story. It was found that utilizing multicultural literature during character education lessons yielded positive results. Students demonstrated a deeper understanding of the themes after reading. Additionally, students made meaningful text-to-text and text-to-self connections with the selected mentor texts. Finally, students applied the learning of these traits into other classroom situations. Implications for today\u27s classroom and suggestions for future research are discussed