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The Integrated Services Project for Clients with Challenging Behaviour (ISP) aims to decrease the adverse impact of challenging behaviour on clients, the community, and the service system. The Project does this by developing intervention and support plans that better respond to the individual needs of clients with challenging behaviour, as well as improving their service access, housing, health and social conditions. The ISP is delivered through the NSW Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care in cooperation with the NSW Department of Health and Housing NSW. The present document provides a preliminary cost effectiveness analysis based on initial client outcomes. The report begins with a brief overview of the ISP before describing the approach taken to the cost effectiveness analysis and the broad characteristics of the 38 ISP clients who were in ISP 2-32 months, from October 2005 to March 2008. The report analyses client outcomes in the following key areas: changes in challenging behaviour; client perceptions of personal wellbeing and health; living skills; social and economic participation; and changes in the use of community health, hospital, and criminal justice services., SPRC Report Series 14/09

To test the hypothesis of a diffusion-generated, ionic/osmotic microenvironment within the olfactory sensilla (aesthetascs), flux gradients of Ca(2+) and K(+) associated with the external surfaces of these sensilla were spatially mapped using self-referencing, ion-selective microelectrodes. Blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) acclimated to low-salinity conditions (15% sea water and fresh water) showed a net efflux of ions from the aesthetascs. The region of maximum flux associated with each aesthetasc conformed to that predicted from structural data and corresponded to the permeable region of the cuticle separating the olfactory dendrites from the external environment. Estimates of net flux from the entire tuft of aesthetascs for both Ca(2+) and K(+) fell within the predicted range on the basis of comparisons with (22)Na(+) flux measured previously and assuming a passive diffusion model of ion movement from the hemolymph to the sensillar lymph and, ultimately, to the external environment. The maximum concentrations of these ions measured deep within the tuft are discussed in the light of a potential across the aesthetascs that may limit ion efflux at low salinities.