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Living Between the Lines: Economic Insecurity and Older Americans
No full textNew estimates from the 2025 Elder Index(TM) suggest that over half of older adults living alone, and about one out of four older couples, lack the financial resources required to pay for basic needs. We compared household incomes for adults age 65 and above living in one- and two-person households to the 2025 Elder Index for each state to calculate Economic Insecurity Rates (EIRs), the percentage of independent adults age 65 or older with annual incomes that do not support economic security. National averages suggest that 53% of older adults living alone and 25% of older couples have annual incomes below the Elder Index value, representing increases of 5 percentage points for singles and 4 percentage points for couples since the last time these estimates were produced, in 2022. In every state, more than 43% of older singles and 17% of couples are at risk of being unable to afford basic needs and age in their own communities
Increasing Housing Stability Through State-Funded Community Mediation Massachusetts Housing Mediation Program FY2025 Evaluation Report
No full textMediation offers a flexible alternative to court for resolving housing disputes, allowing parties to address a wider range of issues and solutions without the delays and formalities of the judicial system. The Housing Mediation Program (HMP or Program) was established in FY2021 as part of the Eviction Diversion Initiative (EDI), a coordinated state and federal response to the housing challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Led by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC), the EDI brought together housing agencies, Community Mediation Centers (Centers) through MOPC, and legal services to provide robust support for tenants and landlords.
The HMP was designed as a housing stabilization intervention that expanded community-based dispute resolution beyond court-based eviction cases to include upstream housing conflicts, creating earlier entry points to mediation. As services shifted to virtual formats during the pandemic, Centers adopted video mediation, a practice that continues today. MOPC and the Centers also invested in building upstream infrastructure to improve access to mediation before court involvement. Although the EDI concluded in FY2022, MOPC continued administering the HMP in response to ongoing housing needs.
In FY2025, MOPC allocated approximately 550,000 in grants to 11 state-qualified Centers2 at three different funding levels based on service volume and staffing needs. These funds allow Centers to employ one or two staff to conduct outreach, coordinate remote and in-person mediation, and liaise with HMP partners. An additional 5,000 on consultation services, and $117,207 on program administration and evaluation.
2 Community Dispute Settlement Center (CDSC), Collaborative Resolutions Group (CRG), Family Services of Central Mass Mediation (FSCM), Greater Brockton Center for Dispute Resolution (GBCDR), Middlesex Community College Law Center (MCC), Metropolitan Mediation Services (MMS), Mediation Services of North Central MA, Inc. (MSI), MV Mediation Center (MVMC), MetroWest Mediation Services (MWMS), The Resolution Center (TRC), and UpSide413 (U413).
MOPC also continued strategic partnerships to expand HMP services. In FY2024, MOPC launched a pilot with the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency (MassHousing) to provide upstream dispute resolution through their Tenancy Assistance Program (TAP), aiming to stabilize tenancies and reduce onsite conflict. This partnership continued in FY2025. MOPC also continued working with EOHLC to find opportunities for housing agencies to leverage HMP
7 HMP Evaluation Report, MA Office of Public Collaboration, February 2026
services. This included delivering a housing mediation presentation for Regional Administering Agency (RAA) staff at an EOHLC-organized RAA Office Hours session and providing updated contact information for housing mediation coordinators. MOPC also supported regional and collaborative outreach efforts for Centers with common service areas or partners as well as met individually with some Centers to discuss and develop targeted outreach strategies as needed.
Throughout FY2025, MOPC and participating Centers focused on innovation, streamlining processes, and maintaining service quality. Monthly HMP learning community meetings allowed coordinators to share outreach strategies, troubleshoot challenges, and improve case management and survey administration. The monthly learning series for HMP mediators focused on developing housing-specific mediation skills through housing scenarios, case studies, and role plays, with particular attention to identifying underlying interests of landlords and tenants and recognizing mediator bias. Additionally, a summary process mediation training for experienced mediators was held in December 2024, with 21 participants from six Centers and MOPC staff for refresher and staff development purposes.
This FY2025 HMP evaluation report includes an Executive Summary, Introduction, Findings, Recommendations, Conclusion, and Appendices. The Executive Summary serves as a stand-alone overview, while the Introduction provides context. The Findings present data-driven results, the Recommendations identify opportunities to strengthen the Program, the Conclusion summarizes key insights and implications, and the Appendices include detailed quantitative and qualitative analyses aligned with the study’s research questions
Massachusetts Community Mediation Center (CMC) Grant Program: Fiscal Year 2025 Evaluation Report
No full textThe CMC Grant Program remains a vital statewide investment in equitable access to justice and community well-being in Massachusetts. In FY2025, the Commonwealth allocated 2,376,002 awarded directly to 12 community mediation Centers for operational support, technical assistance, and participation in statewide initiatives. These funds continued to serve as the financial foundation of the community mediation system, accounting for half of Centers’ collective revenue and enabling them to leverage an additional $2,435,797 from private, municipal, state, and federal partners—demonstrating strong public return on state appropriations. Despite a funding reduction in FY2025, the Program generated nearly a tenfold return on the Commonwealth’s investment. That means each dollar cut or not invested likely forfeits multiple dollars in net economic benefit—creating a fiscal risk to the Commonwealth from continued underinvestment.
With this support, Centers advanced the Program’s statutory mission by delivering accessible, affordable, and community-based dispute resolution services across the Commonwealth. The HMP preserved hundreds of tenancies and housing subsidies, reducing eviction risk and stabilizing families and communities. ReMAp expanded communication and relationship-building supports for returning citizens, complementing statewide efforts to reduce recidivism. The Youth Program strengthened social-emotional and conflict management skills among students, reinforcing positive school climate and youth leadership development. Together, these statewide initiatives demonstrate the Program’s capacity to prevent costly system involvement and support long-term community resilience.
CMC Grant Program funding also sustained the infrastructure necessary for high-quality service delivery. Staffing levels remained stable, and Centers continued to identify salary and benefit funding as essential to workforce retention. Volunteer mediators, central to the Twelve-Point Model, remained a core service delivery asset, with Centers increasing recruitment, training, and mentorship efforts to maintain capacity despite fluctuations in active volunteer hours.
Centers continued expanding access to mediation through hybrid service delivery, flexible scheduling, increased service locations, and multilingual programming. Most cases continued to be offered at no cost, and sliding-scale options ensured affordability statewide. Outreach and education efforts reached more than half a million residents, and nearly 5,200 individuals participated in conflict resolution trainings, broadening public awareness and strengthening community conflict-management capacity.
The Program also advanced diversity, equity, and inclusion. Organizational capacity-building grants supported policy, staffing, assessment, and procedural reforms, while new expansion grants enabled Centers to build relationships and provide services in communities facing the highest structural barriers, including linguistically diverse and historically underserved neighborhoods. Mediator demographics remained consistent with prior years, and targeted recruitment strategies reflect continued commitment to ensuring that mediation services and practitioners reflect the populations they serve.
Service utilization remained strong and stable, with more than 4,000 new cases opened and 2,316 mediated statewide. Agreement rates remained high at 70%, and party satisfaction continued to exceed national norms: 92% of surveyed participants reported satisfaction, 93% would recommend mediation, and 84% preferred mediation over other dispute resolution options. These outcomes affirm mediation’s effectiveness, legitimacy, and community trust.
As the Program continues to demonstrate statewide impact, several priorities remain. Centers require sustained and increased funding to support staff retention, competitive compensation, and expanding program demand. Continued investment in data infrastructure, such as the Resolution Activity Manager (RAM) system, will further strengthen accountability, transparency, and long-term evaluation capacity. Ongoing support for DEI initiatives and service expansion will ensure equitable access to mediation across all regions and populations in the Commonwealth.
Overall, FY2025 findings reaffirm that the CMC Grant Program is a cost-effective, community-driven public service that prevents crises, strengthens families, reduces reliance on courts and emergency systems, and builds community capacity for constructive problem-solving. Continued commitment and investment from the Legislature will ensure that community mediation remains an accessible, trusted, and transformative resource for residents across Massachusetts
Optimizing the Psychiatric Referral Pathway between Community Health Center Primary Care Partner and an Academic Medical Center Psychiatric Practice: Baseline Assessment of the Current State and Needs
Full text linkBackground
The shortage of mental health professionals and the stigma associated with seeking mental health care has contributed to the need for primary care to provide mental health services. While primary care providers are well-placed to offer mental health treatment, they may not feel comfortable prescribing psychotropic medication in their practice. In the absence of full collaborative care models, consulting with psychiatric specialists can help primary care providers to manage mental health conditions in primary care.
Local Problem
At a community health center (CHC) in Worcester County, Massachusetts, primary care providers (PCP) provide mental health treatment for patients and have reported varying levels of comfort in prescribing psychotropic medication. There are existing resources and a referral system in place between the CHC and an affiliated academic psychiatric practice to support the CHC PCPs, but the demand for behavioral health access has been growing and the capacity to meet the demands of the system with the existing referral system does not meet the needs.
Methods
A systematic review of the literature was undertaken to identify effective strategies for collaboration between primary care providers and psychiatric specialists/prescribers in community health centers. E-consultation, direct consultation, and joint consultation emerged as effective strategies to support Primary care providers prescribing psychotropic medications. Root-cause analysis to better understand why the current referral process was inadequate was the primary focus of this project.
Intervention
A baseline assessment of the current state of provider satisfaction with the psychiatric referral system was carried out at both the CHC Primary Care partner site and the Academic Medical Center Psychiatric Practice site. In addition, based on the evidence reviewed in the literature and established best practices, a preliminary draft of a psychotropic medication consultation pathway was created. This draft pathway will serve as a starting place for the next PDSA cycle.
Results
Survey results revealed that 53% of respondents were satisfied with the referral pathway, but 69% were dissatisfied with the overall process, mainly due to delays in treatment recommendations. Additionally, 41% found it difficult to locate recommendations in the EMR system. Stakeholders noted barriers in the referral process and concerns about the system\u27s capacity to manage the volume of referrals.
Conclusions
This baseline assessment provided insight of the current state and needs to help plan the next steps for a consultation pathway for psychotropic medications at a community health center. The project group has paused work on this pathway to focus on working with other groups to improve the existing referral system for primary care providers
ADAPTATION AND DISCOVERY IN THE ETHIOPIAN HIGHLANDS: TESTING RULES, CRYPTIC SHREWS, AND PATTERNS OF MONTANE MAMMAL DIVERSITY
Full text linkMontane landscapes of the Horn of Africa harbor exceptional but incompletely documented biodiversity. Focusing on rodents and shrews—the dominant but least studied of Ethiopia’s high-elevation fauna—this dissertation integrates repeat faunal surveys, genomic taxonomy, and phylogenetically informed modelling to clarify how small mammals distribute, diversify, and morphologically adapt across steep elevational gradients.
A century‐scale resurvey of Simien Mountains National Park (1927-2015) revealed significant upward range shifts for multiple species and a persistent mid-elevation richness peak, implicating warming temperatures as a driver of community reassembly. Museomics using genome-skimming and craniodental morphometrics subsequently uncovered a deeply divergent miniature shrew lineage within the Crocidura bottegi species complex; formal description of this new species elevates the recognized endemic mammal diversity of Ethiopia and underscores the prevalence of cryptic speciation in Afromontane “sky islands.” Finally, phylogenetically informed mixed-effects models tested Bergmann’s and Allen’s rules across five eastern African mountains. Body-mass patterns conformed to Bergmann’s prediction only in a subset of rodent clades, whereas shrews exhibited an inverse trend; tail-length variation offered no uniform support for Allen’s rule. These context-dependent responses highlight the interplay of temperature, resource limitation, and lineage-specific constraints in shaping montane phenotypes.
Collectively, the results demonstrate that (i) high-altitude small-mammal communities are rapidly reorganizing, (ii) endemic diversity remains underestimated even in well-surveyed parks, and (iii) classic ecogeographic “rules” inadequately capture trait evolution in tropical mountains. By coupling historical collections, modern fieldwork, and genomic tools, the dissertation provides a holistic framework for predicting how Africa’s montane mammals will respond to continuing climate change
Elbow Patches To Eye Patches: A Phenomenographic Study Of Scholarly Practices, Research Literature Access, And Academic Piracy
Full text linkChanges to academic publishing in the form of digital technologies and copyright law over the late 20th century have created increasing roadblocks for scholars to consistently and conveniently access research literature in their pursuit of scholarly work. As a result, academic pirate networks (APNs) such as Sci-Hub and Library Genesis have risen to fulfill the unmet needs of scholars. This study examined the experiences of scholars using APNs with a focus on how scholars make sense of their experiences with participating on APNs. By identifying meanings that scholars attributed to their participation on these networks, the study clarifies how these scholars connected their experiences on these networks with their identities as scholars. Twenty-five participants were interviewed and their transcripts were analyzed using phenomenographic methods to draw out similarities and differences in participant’s sensemaking of engaging on these platforms. The analysis identified three categories that framed participants’ understanding of their usage on APNs: as a tool, as a space of community, as a place of scholarly praxis. These findings demonstrate how scholars may move from a transactional to a transformational relationship with APNs and take into consideration the different challenges of scholarly practice in the 21st century. Findings included that the use of APNs was driven, not just by convenience of access, but by ideological resistance to the perceived exploitative nature of current academic publishing practices and associated social, geographical and institutional inequities in access to research literature. Some indicated that these networks serve as the legitimate place of scholarly exchange. In particular, the deeper their usage and awareness of these platforms, the more scholars found community and actively resisted the traditional academic publishing regime. These factors also contributed to their willingness to invest in and support these platforms
Gerald Templer\u27s Leadership in the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960): Its Enduring Relevance
Full text linkThis article explores the leadership contributions of General Sir Gerald Templer, who was both High Commissioner and Director of Operations, during the counterinsurgency campaign waged by the British colonial authorities in Malaya against the Malayan Communist Party, between 1948 and 1960. This campaign has become known as the Malayan Emergency. The article explores how Templer’s leadership—marked by a combination of high intellect, sound practical nous, and the ability to galvanize governmental action and ultimately inspire the population to eventual victory—was instrumental in transforming the nature of the problematic initial British response to the Communist insurgency. The article suggests that Templer’s leadership contributions in Malaya may be useful for modern analysts and practitioners charged with dealing with complex conflicts today
Quantum Dot Light Emitting Diodes as a Light Source for Photodynamic Therapy
Full text linkABSTRACT:
QUANTUM DOT LIGHT EMITTING DIODES AS A LIGHT SOURCE FOR PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY
Photodynamic therapy is a cancer treatment modality that involves the accumulation of a photosensitizer, exposure to visible light, and the presence of oxygen, resulting in the formation of highly reactive and cytotoxic singlet oxygen. PDT has been shown to be more effective as the fluence rate decreases due to oxygen availability and the absence of photobleaching. On the other hand, Quantum Dot Light Emitting Diodes QLEDs- a new form of light source based on nanoparticles (quantum dots)- emerge as a potentially advantageous light source for certain types of cancer.
In this research, we established a three-dimensional cell culture model using human squamous carcinoma cell lines to evaluate the usability of QLEDs for low-irradiance photodynamic therapy (PDT). Experimental results suggest that QLEDs offer several advantages over traditional light sources (LEDs and Lasers), such as the uniformity of the light distribution and the enhanced compatibility with tissue-like models.
Additionally, we investigated the minimum fluence rate below which no treatment outcome is observed- fluence rate threshold (FRT)- to better determine the lower limits for effective PDT treatments.
The present work highlights the potential of using QLEDs as an effective and practical light source for low-irradiance photodynamic therapy (PDT). By establishing a 3D tumor model and identifying the Fluence Rate threshold (FRT), this work contributes to optimizing PDT parameters for improved treatment outcomes. These findings support the development of safer, more effective and accessible PDT using next generation light technologies
Multimodal Learning in Real-world Application: Enhancing Feature Representation and Training Strategies
Full text linkMultimodal learning has emerged as a critical paradigm for developing intelligent systems that can understand and reason across diverse inputs such as images, text, and audio data. Despite significant advances, effective deployment of multimodal models in practice remains a challenging task. This dissertation explores how multimodal learning can be effectively applied to high-stakes, real-world scenarios, with a focus on enhancing feature representation and training efficiency. Specifically, this research investigates multimodal learning strategies in two key domains: healthcare and surveillance.
In the healthcare domain, we explored the data fusion and alignment approaches for cognitive decline diagnoses. First, we propose the LOVEMA multimodal model for diagnosing mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We develop MCI classification and regression models with audio, textual, intent, and multimodal fusion features. We find the command-generation task outperforms the command-reading task with an average classification accuracy of 82%, achieved by leveraging multimodal fusion features. In addition, generated commands correlate more strongly with memory and attention subdomains than read commands. Second, we explore Image-text alignment in dementia detection. We propose dementia detection models that take both the picture and the description texts as input and incorporate knowledge from large pre-trained image-text alignment models. We develop three advanced models that pre-process the samples based on their relevance to the picture, sub-images, and focused areas. The evaluation results show that our advanced models, with knowledge of multimodal features, achieve state-of-the-art performance with a detection accuracy of 83.44%, surpassing the text-only baseline accuracy of 79.91%.
In the surveillance domain, we present a novel auto-distill pipeline that leverages open-vocabulary vision-language models to automatically generate annotations, followed by knowledge distillation to train lightweight detectors for edge deployment. We propose the OpenYOLO, a two-stage framework that uses vision-language foundation models such as Grounding DINO and GPT-4 Vision for open-vocabulary annotation and distills their knowledge into lightweight YOLO detectors for real-time deployment. Finally, we evaluate the scene understanding capabilities of multimodal foundation models like GPT-4 Vision, Gemini Vision Pro, and Claude 3 using a standardized prompt-based protocol. Results show the potential of top-performing models for automated situational interpretation in surveillance contexts.
Together, the findings of this dissertation demonstrate that multimodal learning can significantly enhance task performance, reduce reliance on manual annotations, and enable zero-shot or few-shot generalization in real-world applications. By addressing the challenges of feature fusion, open-vocabulary adaptation, and model distillation, this work contributes practical solutions and novel insights for the development of scalable, adaptive, and intelligent systems in complex environments
U.S. Policy Thresholds: Translating the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands into Action
Full text linkHumans have destroyed wetlands at rapid rates. The Ramsar Convention is the world\u27s premier treaty for protecting wetlands of international importance. This dissertation evaluates how the US translated policy into practice for the Ramsar Convention, between 1986 and 2018, by measuring reporting compliance. Following three in-person visits to Ramsar Convention wetlands and research in the US National Archives, document analyses of national reports and related documents were conducted on local, national, and international sources. The diverse sources lead to an interdisciplinary analysis of US policy action. In order, Chapter 2 quantified support for the Ramsar Convention in the US by political affiliation. Chapter 3 documented the rise of China and decline in the US Ramsar Convention leadership. Chapter 4 compared progress on gender reporting across Ramsar Convention parties. Chapter 5 quantified US the gap between local, national, and international disability mainstreaming norms. Chapter 6 examined technological gaps and ecological site reporting due every six years. In terms of lessons, the US has room for growth in answering section H on gender reporting. Second, the US provided disability and accessibility information for less than half of Ramsar Convention sites nationally, in contrast to emergent international norms. Third the United States exhibits low rates of ecological site reporting on RIS reports. Finally, US leadership on the Ramsar Convention waned, despite domestic bipartisan support. Given these data points and US resources relative to peer nations, this dissertation contends that the failure to report is a symptom and cause of US implementation gaps. US implementation failures, and the continued rates of wetland destruction nationally, raise the more critical question of whether the Ramsar Convention’s original implementation goals need to evolve