title: Sexual offender risk assessment strategies: is there a convergence of opinion yet?

authors: Boer, Douglas Pieter

subjects: risk assessment

abstract: While there is no convergence of opinion in the academic literature, many clinicians have already adopted a convergent approach to risk assessment, whether through deliberate adoption of complementary instruments or through informal clinical modification of risk assessment instrument findings.  The present paper suggests that a convergent approach to risk assessment may be both the most responsible and most appropriate approach at this time, given the lack of research to substantiate a strong superiority of one type of instrument (actuarial risk tests versus structured clinical guidelines) over the other as well as the complementary nature of these types of tests in terms of how risk is conceptualized and analyzed.  The research in a convergent approach is meager and this issue deserves some attention to ensure that all clinicians doing risk assessments of sexual offenders are providing the most information possible to decision makers to protect the rights, safety, and security of our clients (the correctional and justice systems, the public, and the offenders).

text: Sexual offender risk assessment strategies: is there a convergence of opinion yet? While there is no convergence of opinion in the academic literature, many clinicians have already adopted a convergent approach to risk assessment, whether through deliberate adoption of complementary instruments or through informal clinical modification of risk assessment instrument findings.  The present paper suggests that a convergent approach to risk assessment may be both the most responsible and most appropriate approach at this time, given the lack of research to substantiate a strong superiority of one type of instrument (actuarial risk tests versus structured clinical guidelines) over the other as well as the complementary nature of these types of tests in terms of how risk is conceptualized and analyzed.  The research in a convergent approach is meager and this issue deserves some attention to ensure that all clinicians doing risk assessments of sexual offenders are providing the most information possible to decision makers to protect the rights, safety, and security of our clients (the correctional and justice systems, the public, and the offenders).

year: 2006

title: Temperature-related changes in polar cyanobacterial mat diversity and toxin production

authors: Kleinteich, Julia

subjects: biodiversity and ecosystems

abstract: One of the fastest rates of recent climate warming has been reported for the Arctic and the maritime Antarctic; for example, mean annual temperatures increased by 0.5 °C per decade over the Antarctic Peninsula during the past 50 years. Owing to their comparatively simple and highly sensitive food webs, polar freshwater systems, with cyanobacterial mats representing the dominant benthic primary producers, seem well suited for monitoring environmental perturbation, including climate change. Prolonged climate change may challenge the resilience, plasticity and adaptability and thus affect the community composition of cyanobacterial mats. We demonstrate that exposing polar mat samples to raised temperatures for six months results in a change in species predominance. Mats exposed to a constant temperature of 8 °C or 16 °C showed high cyanobacterial diversity, commensurate with an increased presence of cyanobacterial toxins. In contrast, mats held at 4 °C and 23 °C seemed low in diversity. Our data thus indicate that a temperature shift to 8–16 °C, potentially reached during summer months in polar regions at the present warming rate, could affect cyanobacterial diversity, and in some instances result in a shift to toxin-producing species or to elevated toxin concentrations by pre-existing species that could profoundly alter freshwater polar ecosystems.

text: Temperature-related changes in polar cyanobacterial mat diversity and toxin production One of the fastest rates of recent climate warming has been reported for the Arctic and the maritime Antarctic; for example, mean annual temperatures increased by 0.5 °C per decade over the Antarctic Peninsula during the past 50 years. Owing to their comparatively simple and highly sensitive food webs, polar freshwater systems, with cyanobacterial mats representing the dominant benthic primary producers, seem well suited for monitoring environmental perturbation, including climate change. Prolonged climate change may challenge the resilience, plasticity and adaptability and thus affect the community composition of cyanobacterial mats. We demonstrate that exposing polar mat samples to raised temperatures for six months results in a change in species predominance. Mats exposed to a constant temperature of 8 °C or 16 °C showed high cyanobacterial diversity, commensurate with an increased presence of cyanobacterial toxins. In contrast, mats held at 4 °C and 23 °C seemed low in diversity. Our data thus indicate that a temperature shift to 8–16 °C, potentially reached during summer months in polar regions at the present warming rate, could affect cyanobacterial diversity, and in some instances result in a shift to toxin-producing species or to elevated toxin concentrations by pre-existing species that could profoundly alter freshwater polar ecosystems.

year: 2012

title: What’s in a title? The use of honorifics in media coverage

authors: Nikora, Linda Waimarie

subjects: Maori

abstract: On the 15th August 2006, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu (referred to in this paper as Te Arikinui) passed away at the age of 75 years old after serving the Kingitanga movement for forty years. Her passing heralded the movement of large numbers of people to Turangawaewae marae where she lay in state. Intensive media coverage played a significant role in representing who Te Arikinui was, in profiling the Kingitanga movement and activities associated with the tangi as it progressed from the 15th to the 21st August 2006.  While we may be able to identify a “correct” honorific for Te Arikinui, our findings suggest that its understanding and use by mainstream television news media presenters, reporters and interviewees is a matter influenced by ethnic and cultural politics. The preferred use of titles by Maori and non-Maori sets up a process where representations of Te Ariki are contested. To non-Maori she is a “Dame”. To Maori, she is Te Arikinui. Through further analysis and theorising we will endeavour to further discuss the nature of these politics and the differences between Maori and non-Maori representations of Te Arikinui.

text: What’s in a title? The use of honorifics in media coverage On the 15th August 2006, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu (referred to in this paper as Te Arikinui) passed away at the age of 75 years old after serving the Kingitanga movement for forty years. Her passing heralded the movement of large numbers of people to Turangawaewae marae where she lay in state. Intensive media coverage played a significant role in representing who Te Arikinui was, in profiling the Kingitanga movement and activities associated with the tangi as it progressed from the 15th to the 21st August 2006.  While we may be able to identify a “correct” honorific for Te Arikinui, our findings suggest that its understanding and use by mainstream television news media presenters, reporters and interviewees is a matter influenced by ethnic and cultural politics. The preferred use of titles by Maori and non-Maori sets up a process where representations of Te Ariki are contested. To non-Maori she is a “Dame”. To Maori, she is Te Arikinui. Through further analysis and theorising we will endeavour to further discuss the nature of these politics and the differences between Maori and non-Maori representations of Te Arikinui.

year: 2008