Building the Case Against Human Trafficking: Developing and Evaluating a Training Module for Law Enforcement Officials

Since the passage of federal legislation to address human trafficking in the United States, efforts to measure and combat the crime have continued to grow (Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act of 2000). Measuring human trafficking has continued to be a difficult task for researchers, law enforcement, and victim services providers. The combined efforts of these groups has lead to the recognition that without more widespread identification of victims and perpetrators of human trafficking—a crime referred to as modern-day slavery—estimates will continue to be inaccurate. In order to improve the identification process, this specific proposal focuses on law enforcement officials. As first responders to crime and the investigative arm of legal proceedings, police officers engage in ongoing training and professional development on a variety of issues. In order to make crimes of human trafficking a part of training for law enforcement, an effective and efficient approach must be available. This paper outlines a training module that could be implemented in the state of Kentucky through a distance, or online, learning option as part of the training already available to law enforcement officials in the state. The online training module is based on a review of literature relevant to designing, delivering, and evaluating effective training. Three learning objectives and appropriate evaluation techniques to measure the objectives lead into recommendations for the implementation of the training. The recommendations also look to contribute to improved measurements of the incidence of human trafficking. Identifying, measuring, and continuing training efforts are all means to understanding and combating crimes of modern-day slavery

An Overview of the Engagement with Stakeholders to Determine Logical Subject Headings

Xerxes is an interface application, used by over 40 institutions around the world (see http://code.google.com/p/xerxes-portal/wiki/Implementations) including several UW System Libraries. For these UW System Libraries, Xerxes serves as the user interface to MetaLib and also provides sophisticated citation management functionality and integration options. It\u27s developed by libraries for libraries, and therefore designed to be completely customizable. One of the more challenges aspects of the Xerxes implementation is determining logical subject headings. The experiences of UW-Eau Claire, UW Colleges, and UW-Madison will be discussed

Why do some hospitals achieve better care of severely malnourished children than others? Five-year follow-up of rural hospitals in Eastern Cape, South Africa

Staff at 11 rural hospitals in an under-resourced region of Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, participated in an intervention to improve the quality of care of severely malnourished children through training and support aimed at implementing the WHO case-management guidelines. Despite similar intervention inputs, some hospitals reduced their case-fatality rates by at least half, whereas others did not. The aim of this study was to investigate reasons for this disparity. Two successful and two poorly performing hospitals were purposively selected based on their case-fatality rates, which were 30% in those performing poorly. Comparative data were collected during June to October 2004 through structured observations of ward procedures, compilation of hospital data on case-loads and resources, and staff interviews and discussions related to attitudes, teamwork, training, supervision, managerial support and leadership. The four study hospitals had broadly similar resources, infrastructure and child:nurse ratios, and all had made changes to their clinical and dietary management following training. Case-management was broadly in line with WHO guidelines but the study revealed clear differences in institutional culture which influenced quality of care. Staff in the successful hospitals were more attentive and assiduous than staff in the poorly performing hospitals, especially in relation to rehydration procedures, feeding and the recording of vital signs. There was a strong emphasis on in-service training and induction of incoming staff in the successful hospitals and better supervision of junior staff and carers. Nurses had more positive attitudes towards malnourished children and their carers, and were less judgmental. Underlying factors were differences in leadership, teamwork, and managerial supervision and support. We conclude that unless there are supportive structures at managerial level, the potential benefits of efficacious interventions and related training programmes to improve health worker performance can be thwarted.World Health Organizatio

The role of patient support groups in adapting to life with an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator

Background: Patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) experience anxiety, depression and reduced quality of life (QoL). Patient groups offer a low-resource option for supporting these patients; however, it is not known how support groups can meet patients’ needs nor what format they should take. Aim: This thesis aimed to explore the role of support groups in helping patients to adapt to life with an ICD by evaluating the evidence base and exploring ICD recipients attitudes and perceptions of attending a support group. Methods: Three studies were conducted. These comprised of a mixed-methods systematic (MMS) review, a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, and finally development and use of a Likert-style questionnaire. For the MMS review, eligible studies investigated patient-led support groups for ICD patients using any quantitative or qualitative design. Meta-analysis of quantitative measures of mental well-being was conducted whilst thematic synthesis was used to generate analytic themes from the qualitative data. The data were integrated and presented using the Pillar Integration Process. For the qualitative study, 14 ICD recipients were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. Reflexive thematic analysis methods were employed to code and analyse the transcripts before generating themes. Finally, 28 statements were generated from the qualitative findings for use in a purpose-designed Likert-style questionnaire. 17 questionnaires were returned and agreement with the qualitative findings was assessed using the mean score for each statement. A Patient and Public Involvement group was consulted with throughout the project. Results: No clear evidence was found that patient support groups for ICD recipients have a significant effect on quantitative measures of anxiety and QoL. The qualitative findings of this thesis, however, showed that attendees perceived the group as beneficial. Analysis generated themes which suggest support groups may provide ICD recipients with the opportunity to learn and utilise coping skills and complete tasks towards adapting to their life with an ICD. The questionnaire results demonstrated overall agreement that in order to provide this perceived benefit support groups should include opportunities for healthcare professional (HCP)-led education as well peer support and sharing of experiences. Conclusion: The lack of ethnic diversity in the study samples and the contextual impact of research being undertaken during the Covid-19 pandemic limit the generalisability of the findings, however, this thesis provides new insight into how patient support groups may confer benefit through improving adaptation to life with an ICD by addressing patients’ concerns and increasing acceptance. The findings of this thesis suggest that the current lack of significant quantitative evidence in favour of support groups may be attributable to the choice of outcome measures, which focus on anxiety and QoL rather than adaptation or acceptance. Further research is needed to address the limitations and confirm the findings of this thesis before undertaking larger-scale experimental research using appropriate outcome measures

Harnessing post-translational modifications for next-generation HIV immunogens

The extensive post-translational modifications of the envelope spikes of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) present considerable challenges and opportunities for HIV vaccine design. These oligomeric glycoproteins typically have over 30 disulfide bonds and around a 100 N-linked glycosylation sites, and are functionally dependent on protease cleavage within the secretory system. The resulting mature structure adopts a compact fold with the vast majority of its surface obscured by a protective shield of glycans which can be targeted by broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs). Despite the notorious heterogeneity of glycosylation, rare B-cell lineages can evolve to utilize and cope with viral glycan diversity, and these structures therefore present promising targets for vaccine design. The latest generation of recombinant envelope spike mimetics contains re-engineered post-translational modifications to present stable antigens to guide the development of bnAbs by vaccination

Measuring US fertility using administrative data from the Census Bureau

Background: Longitudinal data available for studying fertility in the United States are not representative at the state level, limiting analyses of subnational variation in US fertility. The US Census Bureau makes available restricted data that may be used for measuring fertility, but the data have not previously been described for a scholarly audience or used for fertility research. Objective: This paper describes and analyzes restricted-use administrative birth data available through the Census Numident for nearly all US births for more than the last century. Within these data, most births since 1997 are linked to parents through the Census Household Composition Key (CHCK). These analyses are designed to illustrate the scope and limitations of these data for the study of US fertility. Methods: We describe the creation and content of the Census Numindent and CHCK data sets and compare the data to published US vital statistics. We also analyze the geographic coverage of both data sets and compare the demographic composition of the new data sources to national demographic composition. We further illustrate how these novel data sources may be used by comparing them to survey responses at the individual level. Contribution: This paper describes an underutilized source of national US data for studying fertility, shows the quality of these data by performing analyses, and explains how scholars can access these data for research