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BACKGROUND: The Communication Disorders and Nursing Programs conducted a pilot study to examine the value of peer review as an educational strategy to improve graduate student writing and understanding of course assignments. PARTICIPANTS: Graduate students enrolled in a communication disorders diagnostic process course, a health policy course, or a philosophical foundations course (N=120). METHODS: Students participated as a peer reviewer for their final assignment. The reviewer read the draft assignment and provided comments. Additionally, nursing students read their papers out loud to the peer reviewer. Students submitted their draft assignment to their professor. The nursing drafts were graded. Students revised and submitted the final assignment for a grade. Students completed a questionnaire at the end of the course to provide feedback about the value of peer review. RESULTS: A 65% response rate was obtained. Students (89.9%) felt that the draft was helpful, the partner was helpful (70.9%), and 78.5% incorporated the suggestions of the peer reviewer. Overall, grades improved from the draft version to the final version for each assignment. CONCLUSION: The pilot study showed that peer review was an effective educational strategy to improve student grades and conceptual understanding of the material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the ways in which international historical archaeologists have explored the recent past, in an effort to inform and contribute to contemporary debates about social identity and social inclusion. It is argued that the archaeology of the mundane and everyday can contribute to contemporary culture by creating a sense of community and developing social cohesion. Emphasis is placed upon the archaeology of the recent urban past and case studies are presented from New York, Sydney and Cape Town. The paper concludes that the study of the materiality of urban social life offers a powerful research tool for social scientists, and that archaeologists and heritage interpreters should make greater use of this form of evidence within the context of early 21st-century urban regeneration schemes in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2001, New York State teamed with IBM to create a research center for nanoelectronics at the University at Albany. Since then, the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) has been expanded with over $6 billion in investment, attracted over 250 industrial collaborators, and awarded 72 graduate degrees. This paper discusses the formation of the triple helix center in Albany, NY. It then examines the impact of the CNSE on the regional economy and compares it with three other nanotechnology triple helix centers. The analysis finds that the CNSE is more successful at generating nanoknowledge as measured by publications and patents. Much of the research conducted at CNSE has been collaborative effort between university and industrial partners and often resulted in patents assigned to industrial partners. Since 2001, there has been qualitative and quantitative evidence of the emergence of a nanotechnology cluster in the Capital Region of NY. Upstate NY has become home to multiple nanotechnology firms and experienced growth in the employment in nanotechnology related industries. Potential explanations for the success of the CNSE are explored including the anchor tenant hypothesis and the entrepreneurial university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The paper examines the role of community-based participatory research (CBPR) within the context of social justice literature and practice. Methods: Two CBPR case studies addressing health inequities related to Type 2 Diabetes and Cardiovascular disease were selected from a national cross-site study assessing effective academic-community research partnerships. One CBPR partnership works with African Americans in rural Pemiscot County, Missouri and the other CBPR partnership works with African American and Latinos in urban South Bronx, New York City. Data collection included semi-structured key informant interviews and focus groups. Analysis focused on partnerships' context/ history and their use of multiple justice-oriented strategies to achieve systemic and policy changes in order to address social determinants of health in their communities. Results: Community context and history shaped each partnership's strategies to address social determinants. Four social justice approaches (identity/recognition, procedural, distributive, and structural justice) used by both partnerships were identified. These social justice approaches were employed to address underlying causes of inequitable distribution of resources and power structures, while remaining within a scientific research framework. Conclusion: CBPR can bridge the role of science with civic engagement and political participation, empowering community members to become political agents who integrate evidence into their social justice organizing strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Research has demonstrated that early intervention for children with autism can lead to improvements in core symptoms and enhance cognition, adaptive functioning, and quality of life. Unfortunately, most children are diagnosed too late to fully benefit from these services. Even in regions where diagnosis of autism can reliably be made, families often face additional barriers in accessing quality services. This article describes case examples in which Autism Speaks' Global Autism Public Health ( GAPH) Initiative partnered with communities to facilitate a process of multi-stakeholder collaboration to better understand local autism priorities related to awareness activities, early diagnosis, and developing autism surveillance systems. Method This paper utilised a nested case study to demonstrate how GAPH employs multi-stakeholder collaboration, community-based participatory research (CBPR) and consensus building to enhance early identification in low-resource settings. Each of these processes influenced different phases of the projects. Results In the first example, Autism Speaks adopted a CBPR approach to understand and address barriers to help-seeking behaviour among the Korean community affected by autism in New York City. The second example describes an international effort to develop open-source screening and diagnostic tools for autism that can be delivered by non-specialists in low-resource settings. The last example describes efforts to facilitate the development of an autism registry in Ireland to inform health policy decisions. Conclusions Collectively, these examples outline approaches the GAPH initiative uses to support global communities in working to overcome challenges related to the needs of individuals with autism and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1947, a smallpox outbreak occurred in New York City with a total of twelve cases and two deaths. In order to contain this outbreak, the New York City Department of Health launched a mass immunization campaign that over a period of some 60 days vaccinated 6.35 million people. This article examines in detail the epidemiology of this outbreak and the measures employed to contain it. In 1976, a swine influenza strain was isolated among a few recruits at a US Army training camp at Fort Dix, New Jersey. It was concluded at the time that this virus possibly represented a re-appearance of the 1918 influenza pandemic influenza strain. As a result, a mass national immunization program was launched by the federal government. From its inception, the program encountered a myriad of challenges ranging from doubts that it was even necessary to the development of Guillain-Barré paralysis among some vaccine recipients. This paper examines the planning for and implementation of the swine flu immunization program in New York City. It also compares it to the smallpox vaccination program of 1947. Despite equivalent financial and personnel resources, leadership and organizational skills, the 1976 program only immunized approximately a tenth of the number of New York City residents vaccinated in 1947. The reasons for these marked differences in outcomes are discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about public safety has become critical for government organizations, non-government organizations and citizens in general. It enables informed decisions to be made by individuals, as well as guides the creation of public policies. As with many domains, information on public safety is usually spread across different organizations, described in different formats and published at different levels of granularity and richness. In this paper, we present work done on a web-based portal that aggregates and displays public safety information for the city of Troy, New York. This portal shows how the use of semantic technologies facilitates the integration of multiple data sources with disparate characteristics. The portal demonstrates two types of functionality: First, it shows different examples of integration of public safety information through a variety of examples and visualizations. Second, it acts as a source of semantified data that third-party developers can use in their own applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

essing the impact of characteristics of the built environment on travel behavior can yield valuable tools for land use and transportation planning. Of particular interest are planning models that can estimate the effects of 'smart growth' planning. In this paper, a post-processor method of quantifying and searching for relationships among many aspects of travel behavior and the built environment is developed and applied to the Buffalo, NY area. A wide scope of travel behavior is examined, and over 50 variables, many of which are based on high-detail data sources, are examined for potentially quantifying the built environment. Linear modeling is then used to relate travel behavior and the built environment, and the resulting models may be applied in a post-processor fashion to travel models to provide some measure of sensitivity to built environment modifications. The study's findings demonstrate that mode choice is highly correlated to measures of the built environment, and that many of the principles of smart growth appear to be a valid way to encourage non-vehicle travel. Home-based VHT and VMT appear to be affected by the built environment to a lesser degree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 33 years New York City schools were controlled primarily by community school boards, the city's mayors posited that greater mayoral influence was the cure for the ills afflicting the city's schools. This paper applies theories of policy change to the 30-year battle for control of New York's schools while highlighting the role of the city's teachers union and the state government in obstructing a mayoral takeover. Ultimately, a confluence of economic instability and political quid pro quo in 2002 created a milieu conducive to Mayor Michael Bloomberg winning control of the city's schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In art and design programmes across the USA, the ‘history of design survey’ remains the first, and sometimes the only, formal exposure most design students will have to design history, especially that of the premodern period. In contrast to the model of the art history survey, in which painting and sculpture dominate, history of design surveys consider a range of disciplines from textile and furniture design to landscape, graphics and new media. Moreover, the history of design survey is an opportunity to introduce students not only to design history but also to the culture of these various disciplines within design practice. This greatly expands the scope of what is already a broad chronological study. The continuing debate within the field of design history over the very nature of what constitutes design further complicates teaching a survey. This paper presents a case study of ‘History of Design, 1850–2000’, the introductory-level design history survey course taught to design students at Parsons The New School for Design, New York. It is based on an overview of history of design courses currently being taught in the USA and on discussions with instructors in the field. It examines the challenges as well as the opportunities of teaching design history surveys and sets the Parsons course within continuing debates by exploring the ways history of design surveys might address more closely the needs and goals of future design practitioners. The article is intended to elucidate methodological and pedagogical perspectives that will help history of design surveys remain relevant to design students and useful in framing the field and propelling it forward. It invites disciplinary discussions of new strategies and approaches for teaching and learning the history of design. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Urban stormwater runoff management systems are usually designed to meet performance standards based on historical climate data, which are assumed to be stationary. Based on the evidence from climate change impact studies, in the near future, stormwater management systems, within the built environment, may need to meet performance expectations under climatic conditions different from historical climate. Considering the impacts of climate change on rainfall intensities and stormwater runoff peak flow and volumes, and in turn the effectiveness of mitigation, practices for urban stormwater management are desirable. This paper presents the results of a climate change impact study on urban stormwater runoff in the Bronx River watershed, New York City. Considering the impacts of climate change on watershed runoff, the potential for low-impact development (LID) controls to mitigate the impacts was investigated. Stormwater runoff and LID controls were modeled using the U.S. EPA Storm Water Management Model version 5 (EPA SWMM5). The simulations were driven by historical precipitation modified to represent future projections using a change factor methodology based on precipitation from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5). Using the change factor method, historical precipitation was perturbed to obtain future data, based on three climate scenarios projecting maximum, mean, and minimum values for rainfall. Results of frequency analysis performed on the simulated peak flow rates, with different recurrence intervals, showed a noticeable increase in the frequency of occurrence of extreme storm events and their peak values, under future extreme climate conditions. An LID control scenario consisting of rainwater harvesting, porous pavement, and bioretention was designed and evaluated using the SWMM model. The results showed that, while average increase in historical annual runoff volume under climate change impacts was approximately 48%, the LID controls could provide an average reduction of 41% in annual runoff volume. Application of the LID controls also reduced peak flow rates by an average of 8 to 13%. LID implementation decreased watershed runoff corresponding to 2-year and 50-year return periods, by 28 and 14%, respectively. In conclusion, retrofits with LID controls may provide not only their inherent benefits (e.g., runoff volume and water quality), but also additional climate impact mitigation benefits for stormwater runoff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article shares the experiences and lessons learned from a community project that aims to develop a technology-based solution to improve communications between service users and service providers. Through this multi-year project in the Capital District of New York State, a team of social workers and engineers created a mobile app prototype based on the feedback from the community. This case study shares insights for conceptualizing various phases of community engagement as well as for recruiting multiple groups of stakeholders in the process of creating a collective vision for technology development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts of marketing articles related to area analysis. They include "Effect of High-Wage Unionized Industries on Neighboring Industries," by Ethel B. Jones, "Development of New Shopping Centers: Area Estimation," by D.R. Diamond and E.B. Gibb, and "The Evolution of the American City and the Emergence of Anomie: A Culture Case Study of Buffalo, New York," by Elwin H. Powell.

This case study examines an eight-year transdisciplinary action research initiative involving an academic planning and design research center and a state agency working in collaboration with other state agencies, nonprofit organizations, and communities. The primary goal of this collaboration was to help communities across New York State change the way they engage in community planning so as to improve the likelihood that investments of people, time, and financial resources result in revitalization. Through a series of linked projects, the questions addressed by the cases shifted in scale from individual community-based projects, to a series of demonstration projects in multiple communities, to a statewide community education program. Outcomes included policy and program changes at the state level as well as positive change and action for individual communities. The collaborative process presented challenges as it grew in scale and complexity. A discussion of the lessons learned reflects on the importance of acknowledging the effect of changes occurring over long-term collaboration, establishing a collaborative framework, and recognizing differences in mission and culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Illustration is made, with reference to a ease study of airport landing congestion in the New York area, of how numerical solutions may be easily obtained for the transient behavior of nonstationary waiting lines characterized by Poisson arrivals, constant holding time, and service in order of arrival. In the case study only the mean arrival rate vanes as a given function of time, but the methods used as easily provide for variation also of servicing rate and of number of servers. Exact numerical values are sought and obtained only at intervals of the servicing tune While these times were short in the case study, so that little information is sacrficed, the method may be adapted to yield more frequent values in the case of long servicing times. Subject to this restriction, the entire probability distribution of the queue is calculated as the main numerical routine, from which the distribution of waiting time is directly obtained Use of a stored-program computer is simple, cheap, and especially effective under saturating arrival rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since U.S. Congress’ 2010 passing of the Affordable Care Act and the creation of numerous care coordination programs, Mount Sinai Hospital’s Department of Social Work Services has experienced exponential growth. The Department is deeply committed to recruiting and developing the most talented social workers to best meet the needs of patients and family caregivers and to serve as integral, valued members of interdisciplinary care teams. Traditional learning methods are insufficient for a staff of hundreds, given the changes in health care and the complexity of the work. This necessitates the use of new training and education methods to maintain the quality of professional development. This article provides an overview of the Department’s strategy and creation of a professional development learning platform to transform clinical social work practice. It reviews various education models that utilize an e-learning management system and case studies using standardized patients. These models demonstrate innovative learning approaches for both new and experienced social workers in health care. The platform’s successes and challenges and recommendations for future development and sustainability are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The U.S. spends just 5% of its health care budget to prevent morbidity and mortality. This study surveyed N.Y. State community health centers' (CHCs) population health activities aligned with the N.Y. Prevention Agenda (response rate of 72%). More than half of CHCs considered population health a high priority. Chronic disease and reducing preventable infections were the leading activity areas. One third of activities were dedicated to patient treatment follow-up. Community health centers reported that more than two-thirds of all activities received no funding. Despite a commitment to population health among CHCs, widespread improvements in population health may remain limited without an increase in dedicated funding to support community-based prevention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to assess the impact of a decision-making curriculum (PEER-DM) on the social peer relationship knowledge and self-protective decision-making skills of adolescents with disabilities in hypothetical situations involving negative peer pressure. A randomized design was used to assign students with disabilities from self-contained special education classes to an intervention group (n = 22) or a wait-list control group (n = 20). ANCOVA analyses, using pretest scores as covariates, indicated that students who were trained on PEER-DM had significantly higher effective decision-making action and correct risk perception scores, relative to participants in the control group. This study provides supporting evidence that PEER-DM is a promising intervention for students with disabilities, including those with identified autism spectrum disorders, during transition years to help them develop a better understanding of positive and negative peer relationships and learn systematic decision-making skills for improved handling of social situations in the school and community, especially situations involving negative peer pressure. The study adds credence to using systematic, strategy-based decision making interventions designed to address the cognitive, emotional and motivational processes underlying adolescent decision making in sensitive interpersonal situations involving peer pressure. The study points to the lack of preparedness to handle situations of negative peer pressure as a serious social and health risk for adolescents with disabilities that deserves urgent and concerted attention in transition services programming. Implications for future curriculum-development efforts and replication of treatment findings are discussed. Future research examining disability-specific patterns of decision-making in peer situations and comparisons with typically developing populations is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2007, the Martin Luther King, Jr.- Harbor Hospital (MLK- Harbor), which served a large safety- net population in South Los Angeles, closed due to quality challenges. Shortly thereafter, an agreement was made to establish a new hospital, Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital (MLKCH), to serve the unmet needs of the community. To assist the newly appointed MLKCH Board of Directors in building a culture of quality, we conducted a series of interviews with five high- performing hospital systems. In this report, we describe our findings. The hospitals we interviewed achieved a culture of quality by: 1) developing guiding principles that foster quality; 2) hiring and retaining personnel who are stewards of quality; 3) promoting efficient resource utilization; 4) developing a wellorganized quality improvement infrastructure; and 5) cultivating integrated, patient- centric care. The institutions highlighted in this report provide important lessons for MLKCH and other safety- net institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Findings are from an investigation of 24 criminal domestic violence courts (DVCs) across New York, testing their effect on recidivism, case processing, and case resolutions. Overall, we found a small positive impact on recidivism among convicted offenders. We further found that the sex of defendants moderated the court impact on case resolutions; that is, among male defendants only, DVCs increased conviction rates and sentences involving jail or prison. In addition, multi-level, multivariate analyses found that court policies specifically designed to increase victim safety, hold offenders accountable, and reduce offender recidivism (through deterrence or rehabilitation) were instrumental in reducing recidivism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Herbal medicine use, highly prevalent in the general population, is often a neglected component of the medical history. Herbs are presumed safe because they are 'natural' self-care products. We call attention to the following issues: Panax ginseng, one of the most frequently used herbal medicines, has complex pharmacological activity, and can be associated with severe psychiatric symptoms. Physicians may be unfamiliar with herbal therapy risks, and the need for further education and systematic research is highlighted. Objective: To describe two cases of new onset manic psychoses associated with high dose, chronic ginseng use, and review the relevant literature. Case reports: A 23-year-old man developed acute mania after one month of daily ginseng use and intermittent cannabis use. A 79-year-old man developed hypomania while using ginseng and yohimbine for erectile dysfunction, and had a recurrence of mania after stopping yohimbine but increasing his daily intake of ginseng. Conclusions/ Summary: Symptoms of mania fully remitted within days upon discontinuation of ginseng and supportive treatment. Available data prevent a clear determination of causation; however, ginseng-induced mania in the these and previous case reports is suggested by the following: patients had no prior psychiatric history, daily use of ginseng was temporally associated with mania onset, patients ingested much higher doses for a longer duration than recommended in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and withdrawal of ginseng led to rapid remission. Generally well tolerated, many physicians are unaware that ginseng may be associated with acute and significant psychiatric disturbances for certain at-risk individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterosexism in HHS and other organizations has deeply affected lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer workers. However, there are positive signs that heterosexism at work is changing. This descriptive, cross-sectional study examined a convenience sample of HHS providers' (N = 69) perceptions of organizational tolerance for heterosexism. Findings of the study are that these HHS providers perceived low tolerance for heterosexism within their organizations. There were slight differences when the perpetrator of heterosexism was a work supervisor. This article also considers how HHS administrators can foster environments that support the unique contributions of sexual minorities in the workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing interest has been shown in shared decision making (SDM) to improve mental health care communication between underserved immigrant minorities and their providers. Nonetheless, very little is known about this process. The following is a qualitative study of fifteen primary care providers at two Federally Qualified Health Centers in New York and their experience during depression treatment decision making. Respondents described a process characterized in between shared and paternalistic models of treatment decision making. Barriers to SDM included discordant models of illness, stigma, varying role expectations and decision readiness. Respondents reported strategies used to overcome barriers including understanding illness perceptions and the role of the community in the treatment process, dispelling stigma using cultural terms, orienting patients to treatment and remaining available regarding the treatment decision. Findings from this study have implications for planning SDM interventions to guide primary care providers through treatment engagement for depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has demonstrated that stigmatizing mentally ill individuals is prevalent and often results in lack of adherence to or avoidance of treatment. The present study sought to examine attitudes of college students regarding mental illness as part of a campus-wide 'common readings' program. The book selected was a non-fiction account of a young girl with mental illness and the program was developed to initiate dialogue about young people with mental problems. Faculty from multiple disciplines collaborated on the project. A sample of 309 students completed a web-based survey after reading a vignette about an adolescent girl with mental illness. The vignette description was based on a character in the book selected in the program. The instruments measured attribution of stigma, social distance, and familiarity with people who have mental illness. Results demonstrated that younger students and those who are less familiar with mental illness were more likely to stigmatize and maintain social distance from those who are mentally ill. Awareness of the study findings can assist health professionals and mental health workers to identify interventions that can decrease stigma. Psychiatric mental health nurses are well positioned to lead the education effort aimed at reducing stigmatizing attitudes among the public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We determined the cost of care for 2 diagnosis and management approaches for acute otitis media (AOM) among children 6 to 30 months old. A case–control design was used. Cases included 208 children diagnosed with AOM based on a bulging tympanic membrane (TM) and treated with amoxicillin/clavulanate. Controls (5:1 ratio) included 1020 children with AOM diagnosed not requiring bulging of the TM and treated with amoxicillin. Fewer cases (49%) than controls (69%) were diagnosed with AOM (P < .001), fewer were diagnosed with recurrent AOM or AOM treatment failure (0.34 vs 1.6/child; P < .0001), and fewer had insertion of tympanostomy tubes (6.3% vs 14.8%) due to recurrent AOM (P < .0001). The combined direct payments and indirect costs for management of AOM were $539/case versus $1,023/control. Using Rochester NY payments generalized to the US birth cohort, this case diagnosis and treatment strategy could save $1.008 billion per year. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective:To describe the neonatal outcomes of a case series of infants who were prenatally diagnosed with potential life-limiting conditions and to whom individualized comfort measures were offered.Study Design:This is a retrospective analysis of the postnatal outcomes of a selected population of 49 infants prenatally diagnosed with potential life-limiting conditions whose parents were prenatally referred for counseling to the comfort care team.Result:The prenatal diagnosis was confirmed postnatally in 45 infants. The only four survivors had a significant discrepancy between prenatal and postnatal diagnosis. Whether they were treated with individualized comfort measures (n=28) or intensive care (n=17), all the newborns died with similar median age at death (2 days).Conclusion:Diagnostic accuracy is the main determinant of outcomes. Provision of intensive care neither prevents the death of infants affected by life-limiting conditions nor prolongs life compared with that of infants treated with individualized comfort measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Music therapy research focusing on composition as process, chance/aleatoric composition, and/or indeterminate music as an intervention is an unexplored area. The purpose of this qualitative experimental-music study was to assess the effects of a chance-centered music therapy intervention on rigidity in adult patients with psychiatric disorders. Participants (N = 3) joined a music therapy group designed to challenge musical conventionality via aesthetic perturbation by performing experimental chance/aleatoric music. Aesthetic perturbation is defined by the author as the act of challenging the patients' aesthetic system by frustrating expectations, catapulting the group participants into an unconventional musical experience. Consequently, the members of the music therapy group reported anecdotal information on the effects of chance/aleatoric music on their rigidity, revealing that the intervention helped them gain insight into their own reluctance towards engaging in new experiences. More importantly, participants were willing to accept that change is healthy for growth, happiness, and healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA evidence can pose interpretation challenges, particularly with low-level or mixed samples. It would be desirable to make full use of the quantitative data, consider every genotype possibility, and objectively produce accurate and reproducible DNA match results. Probabilistic genotype computing is designed to achieve these goals. This validation study assessed True Allele® probabilistic computer interpretation on 368 evidence items in 41 test cases and compared the results with human review of the same data. Whenever there was a human result, the computer's genotype was concordant. Further, the computer produced a match statistic on 81 mixture items (for 87 inferred matching genotypes) in the test cases, while human review reported a statistic on 25 of these items (30.9%). Using match statistics to quantify information, probabilistic genotyping was shown to be sensitive, specific, and reproducible. These results demonstrate that objective probabilistic genotyping of biological evidence can reliably preserve DNA identification information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study profiled 2,913 adults aged 50 and older sentenced to a statewide correctional system and their parole eligibility status with implications for community reintegration, resettlement, and recovery needs. The research team developed the Correctional Tracking Data Extraction Tool to gather official data and personal and legal characteristics from a state department of corrections website. The majority of older prisoners were men from racial/ethnic minorities between the ages of 50 and 59 with a range of minor to serious offenses. Time served in prison ranged from 1 month to 45 years; more than 40% were eligible for parole within 5 years. These findings underscore the need for an intervention that can address the differing typologies and individual-level and systemic issues that gave rise to the aging prisoner population. Promising practices that address elements of a conceptual model in prison and community reintegration and recovery for older adult prisoners are reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Airports play a strategic role in economic development of cities and provide connectivity between business and commercial centers. Taxicab operations play a crucial role in determining the overall efficiency of an airport's ground transportation system. However, airport-specific regulations pose challenges for managing taxicab operations effectively. The adoption of emerging technologies for managing taxicabs at airports offers faster, more efficient, and more cost-effective solutions to meet airport regulatory and operational requirements. In this case study, the operation of a central computerized taxicab dispatch system employed at John. F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in New York City is evaluated to identify observed limitations and associated avenues for improvement. Based on a review of state-of-practice taxicab dispatch systems deployed in airports worldwide, this research illustrates how modern technologies and procedural changes can be applied to optimize the taxicab operations at JFK and similar airports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article the author discusses how an evidence-based practice was modified to treat an intellectually disabled client with oppositional behavior. Parent Management Training was modified to treat the client. A single-subject A–B design was used. Behavior improved from 1.57 (SD = .78) to 0.63 (SD = .71) episodes of negative behavior per day from baseline to intervention, and findings were significant (t = 2.83, p = .01). Follow-up with the family indicated sustained improvement one year after the intervention was discontinued. Consideration should be given to using principles of Parent Management Training to create formal plans for addressing problem behaviors across settings with intellectually disabled clients. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In motor speech disorders, dysarthric features impacting intelligibility, articulation, fluency and voice emerge more saliently in conversation than in repetition, reading or singing. A role of the basal ganglia in these task discrepancies has been identified. Further, more recent studies of naturalistic speech in basal ganglia dysfunction have revealed that formulaic language is more impaired than novel language. This descriptive study extends these observations to a case of severely dysfluent dysarthria due to a parkinsonian syndrome. Dysfluencies were quantified and compared for conversation, two forms of repetition, reading, recited speech and singing. Other measures examined phonetic inventories, word forms and formulaic language. Phonetic, syllabic and lexical dysfluencies were more abundant in conversation than in other task conditions. Formulaic expressions in conversation were reduced compared to normal speakers. A proposed explanation supports the notion that the basal ganglia contribute to formulation of internal models for execution of speech. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over 75% of the New York City Watershed is forested, and the majority of the land is owned hy family forest owners. Ownership fragmentation and development may impact both the working forested landscape and water quality. We surveyed the owners of intact and subdivided family forest parcels across various parcel sizes to gauge their awareness of forest management practices and to assess the potential property-level impacts of their activities on water quality. To support the landowner survey, we used field data on forest stocking and timber quality gathered at each property. Results indicate that owners of large parcels ( > 5 0 ac) hod significantly higher water quality awareness scores than did owners of small parcels and were more likely to hove a written forest management plan. Full-time resident owners were more likely to engage in practices that may negatively impact water quality more directly, such as adding structures and a driveway, which increases impervious surface orea and associated runoff, and using additives on their lawns, which can odd nutrients and chemicals to surface water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This two-site case study describes the development of supervisory teams in two public child welfare agencies, including the consultative assistance provided. Embedded in the New York State Design Team model, supervisory teams provided alignment, coordination, and implementation supports for innovations. At the same time, teams engaged supervisors in organizational improvement planning. Case studies utilizing participant observation methodology provide thick descriptions about the three phases in team development and the consultants' facilitation of these teams. Examples are provided of team-related barriers needing to be addressed. Consultants' roles, responsibilities, and relationships with team members and leaders in the agency also are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to increasing obesity, diabetes, and food-related contributions to climate change, many individuals and organizations are mobilizing to advocate for healthier and more just local and national food policies and systems. In this report, we describe and analyze the food movement in New York City, examine tensions within it, and consider its potential role in improving health and nutrition. We conclude by suggesting that public health professionals can amplify the health effects of such movements by creating opportunities for dialog with movement participants, providing resources such as policy-relevant scientific evidence, documenting problems and evaluating policies, and offering technical, political, and organizational development expertise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study on disparities in live birth weight due to race or ethnicity. Using data of all live births in New York City in 2003, the study incorporates random effects and variance elements in a multilevel linear model to change the effects of race and nativity. It discusses details in finding the correlations of observations using the Laplace approximation to calculate the Bayes factors.

This article discusses the social organization of psychiatric work in the psychiatric emergency department of a public general hospital located in New York City, based on ethnographic research conducted from 1999 to 2001. Case studies of the care of two patients with ambiguous symptoms are discussed. The analysis applies the ‘‘differences approach’’ developed by Mol and colleagues which focuses on the way different professions provide divergent explanations and ontologies for symptoms and illness. The cases illustrate the ways in which social structural constraints are compelling psychiatry to become a multidisciplinary specialty. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation is an important policy intervention aimed at changing school, district, and state department of education policies and practices to improve student outcomes. These efforts are compromised because NCLB does not prioritize the conditions necessary for improving academic outcomes. One such necessary condition is a nurturing, positive school climate. Social workers play a central role in creating a positive school climate because of their expertise in ecological systems perspectives and interdisciplinary collaboration. Creating a positive school climate requires data-informed decision making, such that data about student needs and organizational factors are used in improvement planning to create the conditions for academic success. A case example illustrates how data collected in one school district reveal aspects of school climate that are comparatively strong as well as those that may need improvement. These data are then applied to district improvement plans. Finally, this article proposes a data-informed theoretical framework for developing a positive school climate by providing opportunities, skills, and reinforcement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A framework for the evaluation of the effectiveness of traffic diversion strategies for non-recurrent congestion, based on predictive guidance and using dynamic traffic assignment, is presented. Predictive guidance is based on a short-term prediction of traffic conditions, incorporating user reaction to information and guidance. A case study of the Lower Westchester County network in New York State, using DynaMIT-P, is presented to illustrate the application of the framework. DynaMIT-P is capable of evaluating diversion strategies based on predicted conditions, which take into account drivers' response to traffic information. The case study simulates the operations of predictive variable message signs positioned in strategic locations. DynaMIT-P is calibrated for the study network and used to establish base conditions for two incident scenarios in the absence of advanced traveller information systems. The effectiveness of predictive diversion strategies is evaluated (using rigorous statistical tests) by comparing traffic conditions with and without diversion strategies. The empirical findings suggest that incident diversion strategies based on predictive guidance result in travel time savings and increased travel time reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]