Search

The paper examines the work of groups established by chapters of the American Association of Social Workers in the 1920s to develop a systematic and empirically based understanding of the interactional dynamics of the interview in social casework. Now largely forgotten, this work had influence beyond social work. The paper goes on to explore the call by the Chicago sociologist Ernest Burgess to use the ‘verbatim interview’ as a focus of common interest by sociologists and social workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A classification scheme for periodontal and peri‐implant diseases and conditions is necessary for clinicians to properly diagnose and treat patients as well as for scientists to investigate etiology, pathogenesis, natural history, and treatment of the diseases and conditions. This paper summarizes the proceedings of the World Workshop on the Classification of Periodontal and Peri‐implant Diseases and Conditions. The workshop was co‐sponsored by the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) and the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) and included expert participants from all over the world. Planning for the conference, which was held in Chicago on November 9 to 11, 2017, began in early 2015. An organizing committee from the AAP and EFP commissioned 19 review papers and four consensus reports covering relevant areas in periodontology and implant dentistry. The authors were charged with updating the 1999 classification of periodontal diseases and conditions and developing a similar scheme for peri‐implant diseases and conditions. Reviewers and workgroups were also asked to establish pertinent case definitions and to provide diagnostic criteria to aid clinicians in the use of the new classification. All findings and recommendations of the workshop were agreed to by consensus. This introductory paper presents an overview for the new classification of periodontal and peri‐implant diseases and conditions, along with a condensed scheme for each of four workgroup sections, but readers are directed to the pertinent consensus reports and review papers for a thorough discussion of the rationale, criteria, and interpretation of the proposed classification. Changes to the 1999 classification are highlighted and discussed. Although the intent of the workshop was to base classification on the strongest available scientific evidence, lower level evidence and expert opinion were inevitably used whenever sufficient research data were unavailable. The scope of this workshop was to align and update the classification scheme to the current understanding of periodontal and peri‐implant diseases and conditions. This introductory overview presents the schematic tables for the new classification of periodontal and peri‐implant diseases and conditions and briefly highlights changes made to the 1999 classification. It cannot present the wealth of information included in the reviews, case definition papers, and consensus reports that has guided the development of the new classification, and reference to the consensus and case definition papers is necessary to provide a thorough understanding of its use for either case management or scientific investigation. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that the reader use this overview as an introduction to these subjects. Accessing this publication online will allow the reader to use the links in this overview and the tables to view the source papers (Table  ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the strategies that staff at two refugee-serving organizations found helpful in mitigating their increased distress from negative political rhetoric aimed at their clients. Results point to the importance of organizational acknowledgment of the distress. Additionally, staff perceived that intentionally focused organizational interventions can mitigate the emotional impacts of negative rhetoric. Finally, strategies employees used to lessen their distress and regain a sense of efficacy included recommitment to the mission, advocacy for refugees among family and friends, strong reliance on religious faith in coping, and an avoidance of the rhetoric by decreasing engagement with news and social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of technology in special education has increased over the last 20 years. Expedited by the introduction of Apple iPad and its implementation of touch-based input, the perception of technology has grown from a functional role for students with disabilities to a bridge in accessing general education curriculum. However, quality adoption of new technology within the classroom relies heavily on professional development of the special educator. This paper offers a discussion on the expansion of technology in special education, various attributes associated with quality educator training on technology, and the results of a five-year investigation on the formal training of special educators using iPad tablets. Results indicated longitudinal training focused on active learner experiences had a significant effect on the likelihood of special educator iPad tablet adoption and the resulting implementation in the classroom. Recommendations on educator professional training on iPad tablets follows results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mapping material flows in an economy is crucial to identifying strategies for resource management toward lowering the waste and environmental impacts of society, a key objective of research in industrial ecology. However, constructing models for mapping material flows at a sectoral level, such as in physical input–output tables (PIOTs) at highly disaggregated levels, is tedious and relies on a large amount of empirical data. To overcome this challenge, a novel collaborative cloud platform PIOT‐Hub is developed in this work. This platform utilizes a Python‐based simulation system for extracting material flow data from mechanistic models, thus semi‐automating the generation of PIOTs. The simulation system implements a bottom‐up approach of utilizing scaled engineering models to generate physical supply tables (PSTs) and physical use tables (PUTs) which are converted to PIOTs (described in (Vunnava & Singh, 2021)). Mechanistic models can be uploaded by users for sectors on PIOT‐Hub to develop PIOTs for any region. Both models and resulting PST/PUT/PIOTs can be shared with other users utilizing the collaborative platform. The automation and sharing features provided by PIOT‐Hub will help to significantly reduce the time required to develop PIOT and improve the reproducibility/continuity of PIOT generation, thus allowing the study of the changing nature of material flows in regional economy. In this paper, we describe the simulation system MFDES and PIOT‐Hub architecture/functionality through a demo example for creating PIOT in agro‐based sectors for Illinois. Future work includes scaling up the cloud infrastructure for large scale PIOT generation and enhancing the tool compatibility for different sectors in economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interest in and enthusiasm for shifting food systems to community-based and local trajectories have increased exponentially over the past decade. Part of the appeal of community-based local food systems is their potential to secure access to healthy food for local communities, expand sustainable farming practices, promote local food economies, and advance environmental and food justice. Interactions and collaborations within the spectrum of the food system's stakeholders--from farmers to local officials and organizations to local businesses and residents--are the cornerstone for effective food systems tailored to their community's needs. An increasing number of food system studies have applied stakeholder assessment approaches to map out complex situations among multiple stakeholder groups with different values and viewpoints regarding food system change. However, despite being an essential and influential political unit to target, counties have received very little attention in food system studies, as researchers and practitioners often focus on the federal and state levels of intervention to design food policies. This study examined the food system in Will County, Illinois, by applying the advocacy coalition framework and using a qualitative, semi-structured survey to engage a diverse set of stakeholders. The answers to the survey questions offered insights into three overlapping and divergent Will County stakeholder viewpoints (Pragmatic, Environmental and Food Justice Advocate, and Visionary), with the intent of informing and enacting food system transformation at the county level. The discussion within this paper focuses on coalition-building and collaboration between formal and informal groups to empower local communities to develop a distinctive food system identity that promotes community support, collaborative networks, and food justice at the county level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The State of Illinois is examining prospects to increase the development of in-state renewable energy resources on public lands. In response, this research develops a scalable decision-support tool for identifying suitable areas for solar energy generation in the state. This paper provides guidance for state agency-driven solar development by evaluating the suitability of potential generation areas in terms of environmental impact, socioeconomic costs, and energy productivity, and providing a forum for critical decision-making. More specifically, geospatial technologies are combined with a suitability analysis to reveal the potential for solar energy generation on public lands. This study demonstrates the usefulness of the resulting information for supporting both regional and local decision-making as a Planning Support System (PSS). Our analysis suggests that the large-scale analysis using fine resolution data is useful for comparison and site-specific decision making - with site verification protocols in terms of physical implementation. We find that planning decisions for solar development should use a fine-grained suitability approach at a large scale and a feasibility analysis at a specific scale. We present our findings in statewide application along with a scalable PSS tool to optimize and support solar decision-making process and democratize the information for engaging a broader audience. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we present the results of a preliminary inventory of the terrestrial oligochaetes, or earthworms, of the Nachusa Grasslands preserve in Lee and Ogle Counties, Illinois, USA, based upon specimens collected from 23 sites in April and October 2015. In total, eight species representing four genera in the family Lumbricidae are reported, including the collection of Bimastos welchi (Smith, 1917) from one site - a new state record for Illinois, and species native to North America. The other seven species collected during this study - Aporrectodea rosea (Savigny, 1826), Aporrectodea trapezoides (Dugès, 1828), Aporrectodea tuberculata (Eisen, 1874), Aporrectodea turgida (Eisen, 1873), Lumbricus rubellus Hoffmeister, 1843, Lumbricus terrestris Linnaeus, 1758, and Octolasion tyrtaeum (Savigny, 1826) - are considered to be introductions, and are relatively common elsewhere in Illinois and in North America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives.To evaluate the positive predictive value of machine learning algorithms for early assessment of adverse birth risk among pregnant women as a means of improving the allocation of social services. Methods. We used administrative data for 6457 women collected by the Illinois Department of Human Services from July 2014 to May 2015 to develop a machine learning model for adverse birth prediction and improve upon the existing paper-based risk assessment. We compared different models and determined the strongest predictors of adverse birth outcomes using positive predictive value as the metric for selection. Results. Machine learning algorithms performed similarly, outperforming the current paper-based risk assessment by up to 36%; a refined paper-based assessment outperformed the current assessment by up to 22%. We estimate that these improvements will allow 100 to 170 additional high-risk pregnant women screened for program eligibility each year to receive services that would have otherwise been unobtainable. Conclusions. Our analysis exhibits the potential for machine learning to move government agencies toward a more data-informed approach to evaluating risk and providing social services. Overall, such efforts will improve the efficiency of allocating resource-intensive interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we execute a thoughtful study for the paper of Bagloee and Ceder that was published in Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, 45 (10), 1787-1804, (2011). Several suspicious derivations will be discussed to help ordinary researchers to accept this imperative paper of Bagloee and Ceder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engagement in HIV care and a high level of antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence for people living with HIV is crucial to treatment success and can minimize the population burden of the disease. Despite this, there is a critical gap in HIV prevention science around the development of interventions for serodiscordant male couples. This paper reports on the results of a randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of Stronger Together, a dyadic counseling intervention aimed at increasing engagement in and optimizing HIV care among serodiscordant male couples in Atlanta, GA, Boston, MA, and Chicago, IL. Between 2014 and 2017, 159 male serodiscordant couples (total N = 318) in Atlanta, GA, Boston, MA, and Chicago, IL were enrolled and equally randomized to either the Stronger Together intervention arm (a three-session dyadic intervention involving HIV testing and adherence counseling) or a standard of care (SOC) control arm. Couples completed individual study assessments via an audio computer assisted self-interviewing (ACASI) system at baseline, 6, 12 and 18 months. Primary outcomes included being prescribed and currently taking ART, and fewer missed doses of ART in the past 30 days; because the trial was not powered to examine viral suppression, we examined this as an exploratory outcome. Longitudinal data analysis was by an intention-to-treat approach. Participants ages ranged from 18 to 69 (mean = 35.9), and are predominantly white (77.5%), and college educated (68.4% earned a college degree or higher). Participants randomized to the Stronger Together arm had a significantly greater odds of being prescribed and currently taking ART over time than those in the SOC arm (at 12 months OR 2.75, 95%CI 1.35–4.67, p-value 0.020, and at 18 months OR 2.91, 95%CI 1.61–4.88, p-value 0.013). Similarly, those in the Stronger Together arm had a significantly lower odds of missing a dose of ART in the past 30 days over time compared to those in the SOC arm (at 12 months OR 0.28, 95%CI 0.09–0.81, p-value 0.019, and at 18 months OR 0.25, 95%CI 0.07–0.82, p-value 0.023). Among male couples in serodiscordant relationships, the Stronger Together intervention resulted in significantly improved HIV treatment outcomes at both 12 and 18 months of follow-up. This trial is the first to date to demonstrate evidence of efficacy for a dyadic counseling intervention and has the potential to fill a critical gap in secondary HIV prevention interventions for serodiscordant male couples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discrepancies in the number of females occupying superintendent positions in the United States continue to exist; therefore, this study utilized a survey design to examine the perceived barriers to achieving the top positions in education as well as differences by gender among aspiring superintendents in K-12 in Illinois. Statistical analyses (Mann-Whitney U test and factor analysis) were performed on the results from the Aspiring Superintendents Perceived Barriers Questionnaire developed by Dulac, and its underlying constructs were used to investigate the extent to which aspiring female and male administrators perceived barriers to the superintendency position. Eighty-four participants completed the survey either online or on paper. The study found significant differences between male and female aspiring superintendents in 10 of the 21 perceived barriers. Factor analysis yielded two factors (societal issues and workplace expectations) as barriers identified by females, and three concepts (societal issues, workplace expectations, and masculinity in leadership) as barriers identified by males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United States continues to experience a persistent rural-urban digital divide. However, in this area of research, less attention has been paid to the divide in regions between these two demographic and geographic extremes. In this paper, we examine the perceived effects of internet inaccessibility in this in-between space, which we term "quasi-rural." Using quasi-rural Illinois as a case study, semi-structured interview data is used to highlight the experiences of those who are directly affected by the digital divide, as well as those who provide service alternatives and advocate for internet connectivity. With this data, we describe the personal experience of at-home internet inaccessibility. We then focus on how limited, or a lack of access shapes the perceptions of community connectedness and disadvantage among those affected by the divide. Our findings demonstrate the internet's function as social infrastructure; differences in access are then conceptualized as a form of socioeconomic inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While some Catholic schools include students with disabilities, few serve students with significant support needs. This paper offers two distinct models for including students with developmental disabilities in Catholic schools at the primary and secondary level. Describing programs at Children of Peace School and Notre Dame College Prep School, this paper discusses each program's history, funding, student composition, programming, transition supports, and outcomes. Implications of these models are discussed, as well as the need for further inclusion of students with disabilities in Catholic and other private schools.

A conference paper that discusses the results of a research study conducted to determine the effect of diet on the production of dental caries in the Syrian hamster and the effect of fluorine on inhibiting dental caries in the animal is presented. The paper was read at the 22nd General Meeting of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) held in Chicago, Illinois on March 19, 1944.