“We Weren’t Ready”: Provider Perspectives on Addressing Intimate Partner Violence Among Refugees and Immigrants in The United States

This study examined organizational factors influencing the availability and accessibility of IPV services for refugee and other vulnerable immigrant women in the U.S. from the perspectives of social service providers. This qualitative study used a purposive sampling approach to recruit 57 social service providers. Researchers analyzed data generated from individual interviews and focus group discussions using a thematic approach. The analysis generated four themes reflective of structural and systemic factors shaping the availability and accessibility of IPV services for immigrant and refugee women in the U.S.: (1) We weren’t ready, (2) No place to go, (3) Time is not on our side, and (4) Can’t do it alone. The analysis illuminated the extent to which service demands outweighed organizational capacities and the rigidity of service timelines that failed to meet needs. A pervasive thread of ethical dilemmas emerged, affecting the availability and accessibility of services. Overall, the findings form a compelling argument for structural shifts in policy and funding, and for fostering strong inter-sectoral coordination to combat barriers to services. The study reiterates the importance of addressing inter-agency collaboration in IPV research, policy, and practice.

     

What's Love Got To Do With It?: Perceptions of Marital Positivity in H-to-W Aggressive, Distressed, and Happy Marriages

Husbands' and wives' perceptions of positive relationship behaviors and interactions (e.g., caring gestures, reasons for staying married, frequency of positive communication) were assessed in a sample of maritally happy (H), maritally distressed but non-aggressive (D/NA), and maritally distressed and husband-to-wife physically aggressive (D/H-to-W) couples. As expected, the relationship positivity reports of the two groups of maritally distressed couples differed from the happily married couples. In addition, D/H-to-W spouses gave different reasons for staying married than did D/NA spouses (i.e., love versus family roles and commitments). Spouses in D/H-to-W aggressive marriages were also less likely to report using intimate language with their partner than were spouses in either of the other two groups. Few gender differences were found. Results underscore the importance of considering the role of love and intimacy in husband-to-wife aggressive and distressed marriages.     

Understanding public agency communication: the case of the Swedish armed forces

This article suggests a diagnostic framework of public communication intended to capture new communication strategies used by Armed Forces across Europe to legitimize new tasks and recruit new personnel. Three distinct communicative models that impact differently on democratic values and public support are suggested: an Old Public Administration (OPA) model influenced by bureaucratic values, a New Public Management (NPM) model fuelled by market values and a deliberative model labelled ‘New Public Service’ (NPS) that is largely influenced by proponents of ‘e‐democracy’. A case study of the communication of the Swedish Armed Forces identifies a lingering bureaucratic (OPA) ideal. The market ideal (NPM) however clearly dominates. The article concludes that communication along market purposes, principles and practices risks distancing Armed Forces further from society. Yet, an embryonic deliberative ideal (NPS)—much fuelled by the use of social media such as blogs—was also identified. This growing ideal holds the potential of infusing deliberative vigor into the organization and presumably facilitates the bridging of the gap to society. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Poppy seed consumption and toxicological analysis of blood and urine samples

Poppy seeds contain morphine in different amounts. Reported concentrations are up to 294 mg morphine/kg poppy seeds. Since penalties based on Street Traffic Law (parapgraph 24a StVG) in Germany (administrative offence) require definitive proof of morphine in blood samples, and the "Grenzwertkommission" in consultation with the Ministry of Transportation recommended a threshold of free morphine of 10 ng/mL, the question arose whether the consumption of poppy seeds can lead to a blood concentrations equal or higher than 10 ng/mL of free morphine. Therefore, five volunteers ate poppy seed products (50 mg morphine/kg poppy seeds). In urine, all on-site tests were enzyme immunologically positive for opiates and were positive to morphine by GC/MS. All the blood samples were negative to morphine by EIA and to free morphine by GC/MS. However, after hydrolysis, morphine was detected by GC/MS in all cases. Accordingly, in Germany, penalties based on parapgraph 24a StVG are not likely to cause road users any concerns should they have consumed poppy seeds. Driver Licensing Authorities, however, should be advised of this problem to avoid unjustified legal measures.     

Virtopsy-postmortem multislice computed tomography (MSCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a fatal scuba diving incident

The body of a 44-year-old scuba diver was examined using postmortem multislice computed tomography (MSCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and findings were verified by subsequent autopsy. The goal was to find out whether the important pathomorphological findings for the reconstruction of events and the identification of cause and manner of death could be identified using modem digital cross-sectioning techniques. The findings of a massive vital decompression with pulmonary barotrauma and lethal gas embolism were identified in the radiological images. MSCT and MRI were superior to autopsy in the demonstration of the extent and distribution of gas accumulation in intraparenchymal blood vessels of internal organs as well as in areas of the body inaccessible by standard autopsy.     

Escaping poverty: behind the numbers

Head counts of poverty are the most commonly used indicator of poverty level. While not ideal, the analysis of poverty head counts informs conclusions about whether households move in or out of poverty over time. Longitudinal data from repeated surveys show that, at the country level, some countries have lifted their populations out of poverty, while the populations of other countries have either remained poor or become poorer. How these scenarios come to be is the key question that challenges the development community. What mix of country characteristics, policies, structural features and external influences conspire to either improve or deteriorate well-being and to affect overall poverty levels? Unfortunately, changes in poverty levels might sometimes be the result of changes in poverty measurement methodology, with no real change in the well-being of the population. For this reason, poverty assessment should begin with an analysis of the measurement methodology – particularly given the increased global enthusiasm for poverty reduction. This article examines panel data from Mongolia and the Philippines to show how seemingly slight variations in survey methodology can have a rather significant impact on poverty results. In order to make a robust comparison of poverty head counts from different surveys, the basic building blocks of the poverty measures must be identical. This is not always the case. Given the difficulties identified with money-metric head counts, this study concludes by arguing for a move beyond economic statistics, toward multidisciplinary approaches to poverty assessment. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Loan only credit default swaps the new European standard form

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. Key points

• European Loan Only Credit Default Swap (‘LCDS’)documentation was published by the International Swaps &Derivatives Association, Inc. in the form of a Standard TermsSupplement and Form of Confirmation for use with Credit DerivativeTransactions on Leveraged Loans on 30 July 2007 (the ‘EuropeanLCDS’).
• This article reviews some of the changes thathave been made since the first circulation of the draft EuropeanLCDS documentation on 2 May 2006 (the ‘Draft LCDS’).
• Acomparison between the Draft LCDS, the current form of the EuropeanLCDS and the US LCDS (defined in the article below) providesan insight into how the development of the European LCDS hasrequired a compromise to be made between the needs and demandsof various market participants and the specifics of the Europeanleveraged loan market (as more fully described in our recentarticle¹) and indicates points of convergence between the . . . [Full Text of this Article]