Community reintegration of ex-prisoners : type and degree of change in variables influencing successful reintegration

Community reintegration of ex-prisoners is an important issue in efforts to reduce recidivism. The present study examined the multiple, complex, and dynamic nature of variables influencing successful reintegration by assessing the type and degree of change in reintegration variables over time. Participants were 79 adult prisoners (54 male, 25 female) who completed a prerelease questionnaire 1 month before their release, which focused on prison-related variables, participant background, and anticipated conditions upon release. A postrelease questionnaire was administered to the same participants at 1-4 weeks and 3-4 months postrelease, focusing on the quality of life conditions experienced following release. Results indicate that current health ratings and several indicators of drug use were significantly different over the three measurement phases. Ratings of employment and housing stability, finance, and social support were unchanged over the postrelease period. Theoretical implications of the present investigation for reintegration theory are discussed, together with practical applications.

A criterion for conventional dynamic recrystallization: Application to magnesium alloys

An analytical approximation for the steady state dynamic recrystallized grain size is combined with a simple nucleation criterion to assess the propensity for dynamic recrystallization. In line with observation, the criterion predicts dynamic recrystallization in 99.9995% pure Al but not in material 99.5% pure. It also agrees with the observation that zone refined ferrite can display dynamic recrystallization at high temperatures and low strain rates but not at lower hot working temperatures. The criterion is applied here to common wrought magnesium alloys to argue that conventional dynamic recrystallization is expected under "normal" hot working conditions.

Effect of process variables on formation of dynamic strain induced ultrafine ferrite during hot torsion testing

Ultrafine grain sizes were produced using hot torsion testing of a 0.11C-1.68Mn-0.20Si (wt-%) steel, with ultrafine ferrite (<1 µm) nucleating intragranularly during testing by dynamic strain induced transformation. A systematic study was made of the effect of isothermal deformation temperature, strain level, strain rate, and accelerated cooling during deformation on the formation of ultrafine ferrite by this process. Decreasing the isothermal testing temperature below the Ae₃ temperature led to a greater driving force for ferrite nucleation and thus more extensive nucleation during testing; the formation of Widmanstätten ferrite prior to, or early during, deformation imposed a lower temperature limit. Increasing the strain above that where ferrite first began 0.8 at 675C and a strain rate of 3 s¯¹ increased the intragranular nucleation of ferrite. Strain rate appeared to have little effect on the amount of ferrite formed. However, slower strain rates led to extensive polygonisation of the ferrite formed because more time was available for ferrite recovery. Accelerated cooling during deformation followed by air cooling to room temperature led to a uniform microstructure consisting of very fine ferrite grains and fine spherical carbides located in the grain boundaries regions. Air cooling after isothermal testing led to carbide bands and a larger ferrite grain size.

Exploring the role of relationship variables in predicting customer voice to a service worker

Customers’ perceptions of service workers’ trustworthiness and power, and their commitment to the service worker were investigated as possible determinants of the likelihood of customer voice directly to the service worker in the event of a service failure. Set in the context of hairdressing salons, it was found that hair stylists’ perceived trust (benevolence and credibility) and expert power were positively associated with clients’ intention to voice. By contrast, the level of coercive power hair stylists were perceived to have was negatively associated with intentions to voice. Hair stylists’ perceived benevolence was the strongest predictor of client voice.

Interobserver reproducibility of histopathologic prognostic variables in primary cutaneous melanomas

Background: The prognosis for patients with localized primary cutaneous melanoma is known to depend principally on tumor thickness, and to a lesser extent on ulcerative state and Clark level. We have recently found in an analysis of 3661 patients that tumor mitotic rate (TMR) is also an important prognostic parameter, ranking second only to tumor thickness. However, few studies have assessed the accuracy and reproducibility with which these features of a melanoma are recorded by histopathologists.
Aim: To assess interobserver reproducibility of major pathologic prognostic parameters in cutaneous melanoma.
Methods: Single hematoxylin and eosin-stained slides of 69 dermally invasive primary cutaneous melanomas were circulated among six pathologists with differing experience in the assessment of melanocytic tumors. The observers independently determined the tumor thickness, Clark level of invasion, ulcerative state, and TMR for each lesion. Intraclass correlation coefficients and kappa scores for multiple ratings per subject were calculated.
Results: The intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.96 for tumor thickness and 0.76 for TMR. The kappa scores were 0.83 for ulcerative state and 0.60 for Clark level. These results indicated excellent agreement among the pathologists for measurements of tumor thickness, ulcerative state, and TMR and fair to good agreement for Clark level.
Conclusions: Appropriately trained and experienced histopathologists can assess prognostically important features of melanomas accurately and reproducibly. Given our recent finding of the significance of TMR in determining prognosis, it is important that this feature be assessed by a standardized method and documented for all primary cutaneous melanomas.

The relationship between emotional state and other variables influencing successful reintegration of ex-prisoners

This study investigated the multiple, complex, dynamic and interactive variables influencing successful reintegration of ex-prisoners, with a particular focus on the role of emotional state in the reintegration process. This involved conduct of a survey to a large group of prisoners approaching release and subsequently following release from prisons in Victoria and Queensland. Participants were 101 adult prisoners who completed a pre-release questionnaire one month prior to their release that focused on prison-related variables, participant background, and anticipated conditions upon release. A post-release questionnaire was administered to the same participants at one to four weeks and three to four months post-release, focusing on the quality of life conditions experienced following release. As well, the Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory were completed at each interview. Of interest, was the level and degree of change in prisoner ratings of depression, anxiety, and anger at pre-release and extending over the post-release period. As well, the strength of relationship between emotional state and the main variables influencing reintegration was investigated; that is, the degree to which reintegration variables (such as social support, drug use, post-release program participation, rated health) are associated with depression, anxiety, and anger among ex-prisoners. The report commences with the description of an ecological model of community reintegration that enables the main variables that may influence reintegration of ex-prisoners to be easily conceptualised and understood. A review of the international and Australian literature relevant to community reintegration of ex-prisoners is then presented, consistent with this conceptual framework, with a specific emphasis on the role of emotional state in post-release outcomes for this group. In the second section, the study design and method are described, with the results presented in the third section. The fourth and final section of the report includes a discussion of the results, implications for reintegration theory, and practical implications for promoting successful reintegration of ex-prisoners.

Special report : the wellbeing of Australians : groups with the highest and lowest wellbeing in Australia

Overview and Aim
1. This report concerns an analysis of the cumulative data from 15 surveys using the Personal Wellbeing Index to measure Subjective Wellbeing. The total number of respondents is about 30,000 but not all data were available for all analyses due to changing variables between
surveys.
2. The aim of this analysis is to determine those sub-groups with the highest and the lowest wellbeing.
Method
3. The definition of sub-groups is through the demographic variables of Income, Gender, Age, Household Composition, Relationship Status and Employment Status. Index domains are also included. While not every combination of demographic variables has been tested, the total number of combinations analysed was 3,277.
4. Extreme group mean scores are defined as lying above 79 points and below 70 points. These values are at least five standard deviations beyond the total sample mean score and are, therefore, extreme outliers. The minimum number of responses that could form such a group is
one. Data are accumulated across surveys for corresponding groups.
Results
5. The initial search for the most extreme groups identified the 20 highest and the 20 lowest groups with a minimum N=10. These are termed the ‘Exclusive’ groups since they were based only on the previously identified extreme scores. In order to determine the true mean of each of these groups, a further analysis incorporated all respondents who met the definition of group membership. For example, an Exclusive group defined as [male, 76+ years] would contain only the accumulation of scores from individual surveys that met the extreme score criterion (<70 or >79). The Inclusive group included the scores from all survey respondents who matched the group definition of male, 76+ years.
6. The results revealed a dominance by the domains of the Personal Wellbeing Index. The extreme high groups were predicted by high scores on all domains except safety and relationships. The low groups were defined by low scores on all seven domains.
7. A further search for extreme groups was undertaken that was restricted to the demographic descriptors. The 20 highest and 20 lowest groups were identified based on a minimum cell content of N=10. The corresponding Inclusive group means were then calculated as before.
8. In order to increase the reliability of the final groups, a minimum cell content of N=20 cases was imposed.
9. Six extreme high groups were identified. These are dominated by high income and the presence of a partner. Five extreme low groups were identified. These are dominated by very low income, the absence of a partner, and unemployment.
Conclusions
10. The conclusions drawn from these analyses are as follows:
10.1 The central defining characteristics of people forming the extreme high wellbeing groups is high household income and living with a partner.
10.2 The central defining risk factors for people forming the extreme low wellbeing groups are very low household income, not living with a partner, and unemployment.
10.3 None of these five demographic characteristics are sufficient to define extreme wellbeing groups on their own. They all act in combinations of at least two risk factors together.

Predictive distribution models and their application in wildlife conservation

Wildlife managers are often faced with the difficult task of determining the distribution of species, and their preferred habitats, at large spatial scales. This task is even more challenging when the species of concern is in low abundance and/or the terrain is largely inaccessible. Spatially explicit distribution models, derived from multivariate statistical analyses and implemented in a geographic information system (GIS), can be used to predict the distributions of species and their habitats, thus making them a useful conservation tool. We present two such models: one for a dasyurid, the Swamp Antechinus (Antechinus minimus), and the other for a ground-dwelling bird, the Rufous Bristlebird (Dasyornis broadbenti), both of which are rare species occurring in the coastal heathlands of south-western Victoria. Models were generated using generalized linear modelling (GLM) techniques with species presence or absence as the independent variable and a series of landscape variables derived from GIS layers and high-resolution imagery as the predictors. The most parsimonious model, based on the Akaike Information Criterion, for each species then was extrapolated spatially in a GIS. Probability of species presence was used as an index of habitat suitability. Because habitat fragmentation is thought to be one of the major threats to these species, an assessment of the spatial distribution of suitable habitat across the landscape is vital in prescribing management actions to prevent further habitat fragmentation.

Associations of perceived community environmental attributes with walking in a population-based sample of adults with type 2 diabetes.

Background: No studies have yet examined the associations of physical environmental attributes specifically with walking in adults with type 2 diabetes.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine associations of perceived community physical environmental attributes with walking for transport and for recreation among adults living with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Participants were 771 adults with type 2 diabetes who completed a self-administered survey on perceived community physical environmental attributes and walking behaviors.

Results: Based on a criterion of a minimum of 120-min/week, some 29% were sufficiently active through walking for transport and 33% through walking for recreation. Significantly higher proportions of those actively walking for transport and for recreation had shops or places to buy things close by (67.8% and 60.9%); lived within a 15-min walk to a transit stop (70.6% and 71.0%); did not have dead-end streets close by (77.7% and 79.8%); reported interesting things to look at (84.8% and 84.4%); and lived close to low-cost recreation facilities (81.3% and 78.8%). In addition, those actively walking for transport reported living in a community with intersections close to each other (75.6%) and with sidewalks on their streets (88.1%). When these variables were entered simultaneously into logistic regression models, living close by to shops was positively related to walking for transport (OR= 1.92, 99% CI=1.11–3.32).

Conclusions: Consistent with findings from studies of healthy adult populations, positive perceptions of community environmental attributes are associated with walking for transport among adults with type 2 diabetes. The now-strong public health case for environmental innovations to promote more walking for transport is further reinforced by the potential to benefit those living with diabetes.

Understanding travel behavior using demographic and socioeconomic variables as travel constraints

Samdahl and Jekubovich (1997) view constraints as a subset of reasons for not engaging in a particular behavior. There is limited empirical research on the role of demographic and socioeconomic variables as travel constraints. This study investigates the relationships between a wide range of short and long trip planning and travel behaviors and sociodemographic constraints comprised of age, income and life cycle.

This research uses data generated from a cross-sectional, self-completed survey on travel and tourism which was collected during 2003 and 2004 from 49,105 Australian respondents. This paper utilizes binomial regression to find that age, income and life stage have significant differential and interactive effects on travel behavior. The results show that sociodemographic variables act in different ways to constrain/free different types of travel behavior. Implications are provided for national and state based tourism authorities. There is a need to understand these phenomena. Current research is addressing these issues.

How should we measure indigenous entrepreneurship? A search for explanatory variables

In Canada and elsewhere around the world Indigenous Peoples are struggling to rebuild their ‘nations’ and improve the socioeconomic circumstances of their people. We are embarking on a program of research in an effort to understand this phenomenon and to inform the process. In this paper we (i) explore the approach to development being adopted by Indigenous people in Canada; (ii) conduct a preliminary literature review; (iii) identify input indicators of entrepreneurship and business development capacity, process measures of development activity and an output indicator of development effectiveness and (v) identify the information available from secondary sources relating to these indicators and the gaps in information that will have to be filled by primary research.