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Self-selection policing is an approach whereby serious underlying criminality is detected by an offender's minor crimes (known as trigger offences). Strategic offences are offences that indicate an increased likelihood that the associated offender will engage in later offending. The purpose of this study was to determine if first-time serious traffic offending in Western Australia indicates previous and/or future non-traffic criminality, thereby demonstrating the utility of serious traffic offences as trigger offences and strategic offences. The authors collated the crime data of all first-time serious traffic offenders in Western Australia between December 2004 and December 2014. Using this data, survival analyses were conducted to determine if and when a first-time serious traffic offender committed an initial non-traffic offence within 10 years of their first serious traffic offence. When comparing this data to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the authors found that first-time serious traffic offenders are more likely than the average Western Australian to have a previous or future initial non-traffic offence. Some groups of first-time traffic offenders were more likely to commit non-traffic offences than others including males, individuals under the age of 25, drug drivers and drivers without authority. These results support the use of first-time serious traffic offences as trigger/strategic offences and could be used to identify and divert traffic offenders with versatile criminal histories and traffic offenders at risk of future criminal activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brain injury is often a precursor to, or result of, family violence. Yet there is little research identifying the connection of these two phenomena. The health cost (personal or societal) of brain injury within the family violence context is difficult to ascertain. Family violence can lead to lifelong psychological or physical scars and even death. A systematic review was conducted over three databases using Medical Subject Heading terms to investigate incidence, prevalence, and contributing factors of brain injury within a family violence context. Inclusion criteria were primary studies, any person who experienced traumatic brain injury in a familial context. Seven hundred and seven studies of varied designs were initially identified with 43 meeting inclusion criteria. Data were extracted and a deductive narrative synthesis was performed. The accuracy and generalizability of incidence and prevalence statistics was hindered by underreporting of family violence and the specificity of some of the population groups (e.g., female inmates). The factors contributing to brain injury within the family violence context had multifactorial causation and varied greatly across the populations studied. Five social determinants of health were identified: biological, behavioral, structural, social, and environmental. These factors included age and gender of parent/baby, crying as an antecedent of family violence, previous exposure to abuse as a child, hostile living environments, previous trauma, financial pressures, employment status, housing availability, and exposure to natural disasters. Future investigation into the nexus between brain injury and family violence is required; however, this is complicated due to global inconsistency of definitions, assessment tools, and research methods used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction The safety and efficacy of direct oral anticoagulants in cancer patients is currently unclear. Low-molecular-weight heparin remains the standard of care for cancer patients with venous thromboembolism, with warfarin, a vitamin K antagonist, as an alternative. Clear recommendations do not exist for patients with both active cancer and non-valvular atrial fibrillation. The objectives of this study were to report safety and efficacy outcomes of direct oral anticoagulants, low-molecular-weight heparin, and vitamin K antagonist in cancer patients with venous thromboembolism or non-valvular atrial fibrillation. Methods Retrospective chart review of adult cancer patients from 2012 to 2015 who received an antineoplastic agent and an anticoagulant. Results A total of 258 patients were reviewed: 80 patients in direct oral anticoagulant group, 95 patients in low-molecular-weight heparin group, and 83 patients in vitamin K antagonist group. Sixty-seven percent of patients were on an anticoagulant for acute or chronic venous thromboembolism. Major bleeding events were similar across the groups (15% direct oral anticoagulant vs 17% low-molecular-weight heparin vs 18% vitamin K antagonist). The most common type of major bleeding event was gastrointestinal bleeding. A total of five fatal bleeding events occurred. Venous thromboembolism recurrence rates were higher in both direct oral anticoagulant (18%) and low-molecular-weight heparin (12%) groups while lower in vitamin K antagonist group (10%) compared to previous studies. Conclusions Cancer patients receiving direct oral anticoagulants, low-molecular-weight heparin, or vitamin K antagonist had similar rates of major bleeding events, with gastrointestinal bleeding being the most common event. Venous thromboembolism recurrence rates were higher in direct oral anticoagulant and low-molecular-weight heparin groups than prior studies. Randomized trials are warranted to establish clear safety and efficacy in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Applying Michael Warner’s definition of a public as an organized body capable of being addressed in discourse, this essay argues that the mission and associated practices of Taizé pilgrimage are a public formation. The argument draws from visits to the Taizé community in France, to a Taizé youth group in Rotterdam, interviews with pilgrims, writings by community leaders and members, as well as numerous addresses to the European pilgrimages on the part of religious and political leaders. The aims of this argument are to bring pilgrimage research into broader conversations with other strata of cultural theory and to challenge prevailing understandings of the ‘public’ and the relationship between publicness and religion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores on the positive association between participation and volition with two to three daily physical activities of the older adults living in the community. It highlights several daily activities which include shopping, walking for exercise and bicycling. It cites the positive effects of exercise programmes to strengthen the muscles of the older adults.

The high prevalence of violent offending amongst gang-involved youth has been established in the literature. Yet the underlying psychological mechanisms that enable youth to engage in such acts of violence remain unclear. One hundred eighty-nine young people were recruited from areas in London, UK, known for their gang activity. We found that gang members, in comparison to nongang youth, described the groups they belong to as having recognized leaders, specific rules and codes, initiation rituals, and special clothing. Gang members were also more likely than nongang youth to engage in violent behavior and endorse moral disengagement strategies (i.e., moral justification, euphemistic language, advantageous comparison, displacement of responsibility, attribution of blame, and dehumanization). Finally, we found that dehumanizing victims partially mediated the relationship between gang membership and violent behavior. These findings highlight the effects of groups at the individual level and an underlying psychological mechanism that explains, in part, how gang members engage in violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the study which examines the effectiveness of patient fall prevention programme in reducing the risk of fall injuries amongst old adults. Meta-analysis were done to examine several outcomes of the study including rate of injurious falls, rate at which people were readmitted to hospital after a fall injury and rate of emergency department admissions due to fall injury. Patient education decreased risk of fall injury amongst hospital inpatients and post-discharge populations