Double jeopardy : a socio-demographic profile of homeless jobseekers aged 18-35

This article reports on socio-demographic research that was undertaken as part of a broader project to improve service delivery to homeless jobseekers aged 18-35 years (Grace et 01 2005). The broader project, known as Yp4, is a randomised controlled trial of joined up services and programs for young homeless jobseekers. Yp4 is an initiative of four organisations: Hanover Welfare Services, Brotherhood of St Laurence, Melbourne Citymission and Loddon Mallee Housing Services This paper does not provide detailed information about the Yp4 trial, rather it reports on socio-demographic research undertaken to set the context in which Yp4 operates. For further details regarding Yp4 please see Horn (2004). When we set out to prepare a socio-demographic profile of homeless jobseekers aged 18-35 years, we found two main ways to count homelessness and at least two ways to quantify unemployment. Obtaining data and assessing its quality was far from easy, and this research was an exercise in frustration and perseverance. In this article we discuss the complexities of counting homelessness and unemployment, and the educated guesswork involved in estimating numbers of homeless jobseekers. We present a tentative socio-demographic profile; and we make suggestions regarding better access to data in the future

Building Quality Improvement Systems: Lessons from Three Emerging Efforts in the Youth-Serving Sector

Quality is fast becoming a policy priority in states and localities around the country. As a result, formal and informal networks of youth organizations are seeking and developing strategies to help them assess and improve performance. This report takes a close look at efforts underway in three networks and provides a preliminary framework for thinking about key questions when planning any kind of program quality improvement work in the youth-serving sector

Cow in a Cradle

Foxglove snappedtune of a blanketedbreath in the nightwindow a moon\u27s ches

Yes, Physician Assisted Suicide is Ethical

This paper will discuss why physician assisted suicide is considered ethical, while also touching upon and debunking the beliefs that it is not ethical. Throughout this paper I will discuss not only ethical principles and concepts but also the laws and history surrounding this topic. This paper will answer the the question how physician assisted suicide can be considered ethical? rather than the question of is physician assisted suicide ethical?

Pay It Forward: Guidance for Mentoring Junior Scholars

Based on interviews with William T. Grant Scholars Program mentors and mentees in the social, behavioral, and health sciences, explores building mentoring relationships, mentoring across differences, supporting career development, and managing conflict

Building Citywide Systems for Quality: A Guide and Case Studies for Afterschool Leaders

This guide is intended to help cities strengthen and sustain quality afterschool programs by using an emerging practice known as a quality improvement system (QIS). The guide explains how to start building a QIS or how to further develop existing efforts and features case studies of six communities' QIS

Measuring Youth Program Quality: A Guide to Assessment Tools

Thanks to growing interest in the subject of youth program quality, many tools are now available to help organizations and systems assess and improve quality. Given the size and diversity of the youth-serving sector, it is unrealistic to expect that any one tool or process will fit all programs or circumstances. This report compares the purpose, history, structure, methodology, content and technical properties of nine different program observation tools

Mathematical Models of Immune Regulation and Cancer Vaccines

An array of powerful mathematical tools can be used to identify the key underlying components and interactions that determine the mechanics of biological systems such as the immune system and its interaction with cancer. In this dissertation, we develop mathematical models to study the dynamics of immune regulation in the context of the primary immune response and tumor growth. Regulatory T cells play a key role in the contraction of the immune response, a phase that follows the peak response to bring cell levels back to normal. To understand how the immune response is regulated, it is imperative to study the dynamics of regulatory cells, and in particular, the conditions under which they are functionally stable. There is conflicting biological evidence regarding the ability of regulatory cells to lose their regulatory capabilities and possibly turn into immune promoting cells. We develop dynamical models to investigate the effects of an unstable regulatory T cell population on the immune response. These models display the usual characteristics of an immune response with the added capabilities of being able to correct for initial imbalances in T cell populations. We also observe an increased robustness of the immune response with respect to key parameters. Similar conclusions are demonstrated with regards to the effects of regulatory T cell switching on immunodominance. TGF-beta is an immunoregulatory protein that contributes to inadequate anti-tumor immune responses in cancer patients. Recent experimental data suggests that TGF-beta inhibition alone, provides few clinical benefits, yet it can significantly amplify the anti-tumor immune response when combined with a tumor vaccine. We develop a mathematical model to gain insight into the cooperative interaction between anti-TGF-beta and vaccine treatments. Using numerical simulations and stability analysis we study the following scenarios: a control case of no treatment, anti-TGF-beta treatment, vaccine treatment, and combined anti-TGF-beta vaccine treatments. Consistent with experimental data, we show that monotherapy alone cannot successfully eradicate a tumor. Tumor eradication requires the combination of these therapeutic approaches. We also demonstrate that our model captures the observed experimental results, and hence can be potentially used in designing future experiments involving this approach to immunotherapy

Psychotherapeutic Treatment of Post-Traumatic Disorder in Rural Veterans

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a significant health issue among the veteran population. PTSD can lead to adverse outcomes such as suicide, violence, substance abuse, and an overall decreased quality of life. Psychotherapy has demonstrated effectiveness in treating PTSD. However, providers may not be aware which specific types of psychotherapy have achieved the strongest levels of evidence . Additional challenges exist in treating rural veterans because of barriers such as geographical distance and a shortage of mental health providers. These obstacles may place rural veterans at higher risk. The purpose of this project was to explore the current evidence that supports the use of psychotherapy in the treatment of PTSD and discuss how these strategies might be implemented for veterans in a rural setting. Shapiro\u27s Adaptive Information Processing Model served as a theoretical framework for this project . The methods used to conduct this project consisted of first performing a literature review of pertinent articles and current practice guidelines. Expert clinicians within the community were consulted to gain further insight and directly observe some clinical applications of these therapies. Collaborative efforts were made with contacts from the Department of Defense Centers of Excellence and an upper-Midwest rural health agency . A variety of web-based training modules related to the practice of psychotherapy for veterans with PTSD were also reviewed . The findings of this project revealed that cognitive behavioral-based therapies, such as Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy as well as eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) demonstrate the greatest level of efficacy in treating PTSD. Technological advances such as telemental health services or virtual reality-based interventions may improve accessibility to rural veterans . Integrating PTSD treatment options into primary care settings, such as community-based clinics may also improve barriers to seeking treatment. These results have been disseminated to local providers via informational pamphlets and poster presentations. Several accessible, online training websites have also been included as resources that can assist providers in gaining increased knowledge and understanding specific to the psychotherapies discussed as well as issues pertinent to military culture and programs. By increasing providers\u27 awareness of these evidence-based practices, it is hopeful that better care can be offered to rural veterans in treating their symptoms of PTSD and improving overall quality of life