Narcotics and Criminality

"Livet efter gymnasiesärskolan" är en intervjuundersökning med två årgångar elever som tagit studenten 2012 och 2013 från något av de fem erbjudna nationella programmen på gymnasiesärskolan inom Jämtlands gymnasieförbund (JGY). Syftet med studien var att närmare undersöka hur boendesituation, sysselsättning och ekonomiska villkor ser ut efter avslutade gymnasiestudier för avsedd målgrupp. Intervjusvaren visar faktisk fördelning av sysselsättningsform, könstraditionella yrkesval och samstämmighet mellan sysselsättning och genomgångna gymnasieprogram. Studien omfattar frågor och svar om boende, nuvarande sysselsättning och om eventuell anställningsform samt förslag till eventuella förändringar av nuvarande livssituation. Studien tar sin utgångspunkt i semi- strukturerade intervjuer med fyrtiofem avgångselever från något nationellt gymnasiesärskoleprogram inom upptagningsområdet för JGY. Samtliga intervjuer utfördes en och en via personliga möten och i vissa fall, då intervjupersonen önskat så, via telefon. Resultatet visar att informanterna förutom de sju som vid tidpunkten för studien var arbetslösa trivdes med sin nuvarande sysselsättning. Noterbart är att det är färre arbetslösa bland informanterna i föreliggande studie än för övriga ungdomar i Jämtland/Härjedalen. Överensstämmelse mellan sysselsättning och utbildning har 66 procent av populationen. Studien indikerar att det finns könsbundna yrkesval inom undersökningsgruppen. Den vanligaste boendeformen var LSS-boende vilket tjugo informanter hade vid tidpunkten för studiens genomförande. Tolv informanter hade eget boende och ytterligare tolv bodde i föräldrahemmet. Tjugoåtta informanter angav att de inte önskar någon förändring av nuvarande livssituation. De förslag till förändringar som emellertid framkommer i studien handlade främst om möjligheten till arbete och eget boende

Options for basing Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) on chronic disease endpoints: report from a joint US-/Canadian-sponsored working group.

Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) are used in Canada and the United States in planning and assessing diets of apparently healthy individuals and population groups. The approaches used to establish DRIs on the basis of classical nutrient deficiencies and/or toxicities have worked well. However, it has proved to be more challenging to base DRI values on chronic disease endpoints; deviations from the traditional framework were often required, and in some cases, DRI values were not established for intakes that affected chronic disease outcomes despite evidence that supported a relation. The increasing proportions of elderly citizens, the growing prevalence of chronic diseases, and the persistently high prevalence of overweight and obesity, which predispose to chronic disease, highlight the importance of understanding the impact of nutrition on chronic disease prevention and control. A multidisciplinary working group sponsored by the Canadian and US government DRI steering committees met from November 2014 to April 2016 to identify options for addressing key scientific challenges encountered in the use of chronic disease endpoints to establish reference values. The working group focused on 3 key questions: 1) What are the important evidentiary challenges for selecting and using chronic disease endpoints in future DRI reviews, 2) what intake-response models can future DRI committees consider when using chronic disease endpoints, and 3) what are the arguments for and against continuing to include chronic disease endpoints in future DRI reviews? This report outlines the range of options identified by the working group for answering these key questions, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each option

Not all suffering is pain: sources of patients' suffering in the emergency department call for improvements in communication from practitioners

Background Provision of prompt, effective analgesia is rightly considered as a standard of care in the emergency department (ED). However, much suffering is not ‘painful’ and may be under-recognised. We sought to describe the burden of suffering in the ED and explore how this may be best addressed from a patient centred perspective. Methods In a prospective cohort study, we included undifferentiated patients presenting to the ED. We undertook two face to face questionnaires with the first immediately following triage. We asked patients: (a) if they were ‘suffering’; (b) how they were suffering; and (c) what they hoped would be done to ease this. Prior to leaving the ED, we asked patients what had been done to ease their suffering. Data were analysed thematically. Results Of 125 patients included, 77 (61.6%) reported suffering on direct questioning and 92 (73.6%) listed at least one way in which they were suffering. 90 (72.0%) patients had a pain score >0/10 but only 37 (29.6%) reported that pain was causing suffering. Patients reported suffering from both physical symptoms (especially pain, nausea, vomiting and dizziness) and emotional distress (notably anxiety). Treatment (to ease physical and emotional symptoms), information (particularly diagnosis, reassurance and explanation), care (notably friendly staff) and closure (being seen, resolving the problem and going home) were the key themes identified as important for relief of suffering. Conclusions In seeking to ease suffering in the ED, clinicians must focus not only on providing analgesia but on treating Emotional distress, Physical symptoms, providing Information, Care and Closure (EPICC)

Teachers’ perceptions on teaching comprehensive sexuality education in early grades in Chipinge, Zimbabwe

This study aimed at unraveling and comprehending teachers' perceptions of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) teaching in early grades. The study opted for a qualitative case study design in an interpretive paradigm with semi-structured interviews and document analysis as data-gathering instruments. Ten primary school teachers responsible for early childhood development were selected through purposive sampling. The collected data were analysed using a thematic approach. This study revealed that primary school teachers in Zimbabwe perceived CSE as essential in empowering early grade children with skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to protect them from sexual abuse. However, they were uncomfortable introducing it due to cultural restrictions. The teachers felt the need to be supported in the teaching of CSE in Early Childhood by being provided with a curriculum, appropriate professional development strategies and teaching materials. The study recommends the teaching of CSE at Early Childhood Development level. Parents should be educated on the significance and objectives of CSE for their children

Cultural Factors Affecting the Teaching of Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Early grades in Zimbabwe

This case study was conducted in Chipinge district in Zimbabwe to investigate the cultural factors that influence the instruction of comprehensive sexuality education CSE in early grades and subsequently identifies effective strategies to address these factors The study employed a qualitative approach within an interpretivist paradigm A purposive sample of ten parents and ten early grade teachers was selected to participate in the study Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using a thematic approach The language used in the instruction of comprehensive sexuality education CSE was found to be restrictive impeding the effective delivery of CSE content due to cultural taboos surrounding the explicit mention of anatomical terms referring to genital organs Teachers reluctance to teach CSE and their apprehension of potential victimisation by parents were identified as significant factors inhibiting the effective implementation of CSE inthe early grades Furthermore the study revealed that within Zimbabwean culture CSE is primarily perceived as education intended for individuals approaching marriage and adolescence The study revealed a prevailing belief that introducing comprehensive sexuality education CSE to young children may encourage them to engage in sexual experimentation As a recommendation the study suggested the formulation of a policy that explicitly permits the teaching of CSE to young children while advocating for therepeal of existing policies that hinder its implementatio

HIV/AIDS infected mothers’ experience of a group intervention to enhance their children’s behavior

A secondary study was conducted within a broader National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded longitudinal study on resilience in South African mothers and children affected by HIV/AIDS (Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a 24-week support group intervention programme, which was designed to enhance adaptive behaviour of latent-phase children affected by maternal HIV/AIDS as reported by the mother participants. The study was embedded in a concurrent nested mixed-method design, with a quasi-experimental and a nested multiple case study approach. The mother and child dyads (n = 139) were purposefully selected from amongst previously identified HIV-positive women (n = 220), with children between the ages of 6 and 10 years at clinics in the Tshwane region, South Africa. Data were collected over a period of five years in multiple waves of intervention implementation. The data collection strategies comprised of mother psychological questionnaires and quality assurance questionnaires. The quantitative data were analysed by means of a paired-sample t-test for within-group comparisons. The qualitative text was analysed for themes to establish defined categories. The findings of the study showed that the mothers reported that the child support group intervention sessions decreased the children’s withdrawal-, social-, attention-, rule-breaking- and aggressive behavioural problems. The findings suggest that the use of support groups should be incorporated into intervention programmes dealing with latent-phase children affected by HIV/AIDS to enhance adaptive behaviour.Keywords: child behavior; group intervention; HIV/AIDS; latency age childre

Community Policing: Broken Windows, Community Building, and Satisfaction with the Police

The concept of community policing dominates the law enforcement profession today. One would be hard pressed to find an advertisement for a police chief’s position that does not require a thorough understanding of this method of policing. Like the Kansas City preventive patrol experiment and the Rand report on the criminal investigation process, the call for community policing has led to dramatic changes in the way that police carry out their responsibilities. In spite of its popularity, there have been a number of challenges to community policing from social scientists who are particularly concerned about the ‘broken windows’ model of policing. These challenges have not been received well by the law enforcement community, which argues that sociologists are wedded to the idea that crime is caused by the structural features of capitalist society, including economic injustice, racism, and poverty. The purpose of this article is to bridge the gap between these two positions. Yes, there is a place for community policing, and, yes, social problems do contribute to crime. The article starts by reviewing the development of community policing in the United States. An analysis of the theoretical constructs that support community policing then follows. Finally, we argue that there is sound theoretical evidence to support community policing, particularly those programmes that improve citizen satisfaction with the manner in which police carry out their responsibilities

The politics and poetics of choreography the dancing body in South African dance

This mini-thesis is situated in the discourse on patriarchy, nationhood and its artistic forms. It is argued that an uncritical pursuit of commonality as a political aesthetic strategy for dance in South Africa repeats the metaphysical foundationalism of this discourse. It is further suggested that a postmodern ethos subverts this heritage, while at the same time offering a viable alternative for accommodating and representing the cultural diversity and plurality characteristic of current theatre dance in South Africa. Chapter One examines the way dance has historically structured its patriarchal form the postmodern discourses Chapter Two as a site and practice through explores the potential of deconstruction and destabilisation of this dance heritage. This chapter also assesses the relevance of a postmodern alternative in a South African dance context. Chapter Three analyses the postmodern choreographic strategies of two South African choreographers, Gary Gordon and Robyn Orlin, in order to reveal how their dance vision to patriarchal aesthetic form and offers an uncritical alternative notions of commonality. In conclusion, it is argued postmodern ethos embodied in the work that the of these choreographers provides viable directions for formulating and articulating new dance directions for theatre dance in South Africa while, at the same time, bearing witness to the diversity that will always structure expressions of commonality in South African dance