Promoting Social and Emotional Learning in Middle School: Intervention Effects of Facing History and Ourselves

Journal of Youth and Adolescence - There are fewer evidence-based social and emotional learning programs for middle school students compared to younger grades. This randomized controlled trial...     

Women's motives for violent and nonviolent behaviors in conflicts

Drawing from past research on women's motives for intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration, correlates of women's perpetration, and correlates of nonviolent conflict, we created a scale containing 125 possible motives, representing 14 broad domains (e.g., self-defense, retaliation). Participants were an ethnically diverse sample of women who had perpetrated no physical IPV against their current partner (n = 243), threats but not physical IPV (n = 70), nonsevere physical IPV (n = 193), and at least one act of severe (e.g., choke) physical IPV (n = 93). An exploratory factor analysis yielded a seven-factor solution, representing Partners' Negative Behaviors, Increase Intimacy, Personal Problems, Retaliation, Childhood Experiences, Situation/Mood, and Partners' Personal Problems. Differences by women's IPV perpetration and race and/or ethnicity were tested with means representing these seven factors and a computed variable representing self-defense. Although motives differed by perpetration type, main effects for Partners' Negative Behavior, Personal Problems, Retaliation, and Childhood Experiences were modified by interactions, suggesting ethnicity should be considered when developing interventions.     

Abuse behavior inventory: cutpoint, validity, and characterization of discrepancies

This study determines a clinical cutting score for the 29-item Abuse Behavior Inventory (ABI) developed by Shepard and Campbell (1992) to measure both physical and psychological abuse experiences. The authors report on a sample of 392 White and African American women from primary care waiting rooms, who completed the ABI and the revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2). An ABI cutoff score of 10 maximizes validity and produces a sensitivity of 77% and a specificity of 81% compared to the CTS2. Cronbach's alpha is .92 for the entire scale, .91 for the psychological subscale, and .86 for the physical subscale. Correlation between the ABI and CTS2 is .76, with subscale correlations of .74 between ABI psychological and CTS2 verbal aggression, and .71 between ABI physical and CTS2 physical aggression, injury, and sexual coercion.     

Understanding the chemistry of the development of latent fingerprints by superglue fuming

Cyanoacrylate fuming is a widely used forensic tool for the development of latent fingerprints, however the mechanistic details of the reaction between the fingerprint residue and the cyanoacrylate vapor are not well understood. Here the polymerization of ethyl-cyanoacrylate vapor by sodium lactate or alanine solutions, two of the major components in fingerprint residue, has been examined by monitoring the time dependence of the mass uptake and resultant polymer molecular weight characteristics. This data provides insight into the molecular level actions in the efficient development of latent fingerprints by superglue fuming. The results show that the carboxylate moiety is the primary initiator of the polymerization process and that a basic environment inhibits chain termination while an acidic environment promotes it. The results also indicate that water cannot be the primary initiator in this forensic technique.     

A study of ethyl glucuronide in post-mortem blood as a marker of ante-mortem ingestion of alcohol

The possibility of post-mortem production of ethanol makes correct interpretation of ethanol detection in forensic autopsy samples difficult. Even though the levels of ethanol formed post-mortem are generally low, this may be highly relevant in cases where intake of alcohol was forbidden, for instance for pilots, professional drivers and countries with low legal alcohol limits for driving. Different criteria are used to determine whether a finding of ethanol is of exogenous origin, but there is no marker for alcohol ingestion that has been studied in detail. In this study, we wanted to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of ethyl glucuronide (EtG), a direct minor metabolite of ethanol, measured in blood, as a marker of ante-mortem alcohol ingestion. Forensic autopsy cases were divided into groups with and without ante-mortem alcohol ingestion, according to strict inclusion criteria. In 93 cases with information on ante-mortem alcohol ingestion, EtG was detected in blood in all cases, even when levels of ethanol were low. In another 53 cases where there were no indications of ante-mortem alcohol intake, EtG could not be detected in blood in a single case, also in 11 cases in which ethanol was detected and considered to be most probably formed post-mortem. In conclusion, blood EtG determination seems to be a reliable marker of ante-mortem ingestion of alcohol, and it could be considered in forensic autopsy cases when post-mortem formation of ethanol is questioned.     

Injustice for All: A State Crime of Omission Beneath the Steps of the United States Capitol

This research examines a state crime of omission by members of the Office of the Architect of the Capitol. These crimes were perpetrated against a group of employees charged with maintaining the underground utility tunnels beneath the United States Capitol. Through a secondary analysis of congressional testimony; citations and documents issued by the Office of Compliance; medical records; and various media accounts of the events, this research seeks to examine the perpetrators’ actions as a state crime of omission and offer a theoretical explanation. Our findings suggest the actions and inactions of the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, over a period of years, embody the definition of a state crime. Our theoretical explanation examines the conditions that combined to foster an environment in which occupational exposure to asbestos continued for years, placing the life and health of the tunnel crew in serious jeopardy.     

Where Have All The Workers Gone? Exploring Public Sector Workforce Planning

Governments undertake extensive planning of many services and functions, but tend to neglect planning of public service workforces. Disruptions to public service delivery, such as shortages of nurses and doctors, have rejuvenated interest in workforce planning, but many organisations struggle to do it effectively. This historical study examines the capacity of central personnel agencies to predict workforce risks and support workforce planning, using a study of the Queensland public service. It identifies lack of workforce data as a barrier to effective workforce planning, as a result of factors such as changes in the direction of the central personnel agency, lack of appreciation for the value of comprehensive central workforce data, and limited agency human resource (HR) skills or capacity.     

The Third Sector and Residential Care for the Elderly in China's Transitional Welfare Economy

This article examines third‐sector welfare homes for Chinese elderly and argues that four factors affect their survival and development prospects: the extent care establishments meet the needs of their users; how successfully they manage their human resources; whether they ensure their financial sustainability; and whether they satisfy the expectations of their investors. The data reveal that while care homes generally serve their customers well and maintain staff satisfaction, they encounter difficulties in financing and service operation that pose grave challenges to their investors. The resulting problems cast a shadow over the future prospects of old‐age care homes and raise questions concerning the state's non‐profit policy.     

A fast analysis system for forensic DNA reference samples

On January 1st, 2006, the Swedish legislation on obtaining DNA reference samples from suspects and the recording of DNA profiles in databases was changed. As a result the number of samples analysed at the Swedish National Laboratory of Forensic Science (SKL) increased from about 4500 in 2005 to more than 25,000 in 2006. To meet this challenge, SKL launched a new analysis system to create an unbroken chain, from sampling to incorporation of a profile in the national DNA database and subsequent automatic generation of digitally signed hit reports. The system integrates logistics, digital data transfer, new functions in LIMS (ForumDNA Version 4, Ida Infront AB) and laboratory automation. Buccal swab samples are secured on a FTA^® card attached to an identity form, which is barcoded with a unique sample ID. After sampling, the police officer sends a digital request to SKL. The sample is automatically registered in LIMS and processed on delivery. The resulting DNA profiles are automatically classified according to quality using a custom-made expert system. Building the evaluation around mathematical rules makes it reproducible, standardised and minimises manual work and clerk errors. All samples are run in duplicate and the two profiles are compared within LIMS before incorporation in the database. In the first year of operation, the median time for completion of an analysis was 3 days, measured from delivery of the sample to incorporation of the profile in the national DNA database. In spite of the dramatic increase in the number of reference samples there was no backlog.