Drug Evaluation and Classification Program: An Evaluation and Validation Study in the State of Florida

Over the past several decades, the fatality rates in traffic crashes related to drug-impaired driving have increased significantly. Specialized law enforcement officers are currently being deployed to help reduce the number of drug-related traffic crash fatalities and identify drugged impaired drivers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) developed the drug evaluation and classification program (DECP) to certify law enforcement officers as drug recognition experts (DREs). An evaluation and validation study was conducted on the DECP in Florida. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the DECP in Florida to determine the accuracy rates of DREs and determine which core set of measurements (signs and symptoms) from the drug influence evaluation (DIE) face sheets correspond to each of the seven drug categories, and to determine if any core set of measurements from the DIEs are identified with the inaccuracies of DRE opinions. This study is a quantitative cross-sectional descriptive and predictive examination of Florida\u27s DECP. The population for this study comprised the enforcement DIEs and toxicological results for 2019 in the state of Florida with a target sample size being calculated for a logistic regression analysis. This study analyzed the DECP accuracy rates in Florida during 2019. The study also completed a binary logistic regression analysis to determine the core set of measurements (signs and symptoms) to predict the drug categories determined by toxicology results and the core set of measurements (signs and symptoms) to predict the drug categories inaccurately determined by the DREs

Medical marijuana laws and mental health in the United States

The consequences of legal access to medical marijuana for individual welfare are a matter of controversy. We contribute to the ongoing discussion by evaluating the impact of the staggered introduction and extension of medical marijuana laws across US states on self-reported mental health. Our main analysis is based on BRFSS survey data from more than six million respondents between 1993 and 2015. On average, we find that medical marijuana laws lead to a reduction in the self-reported number of days with mental health problems. Reductions are largest for individuals with high propensities to consume marijuana for medical purposes and people who are likely to suffer from chronic pain. Moreover, the introduction of prescription drug monitoring programs lead to a reduction in bad mental health days only in states that allow medical marijuana

Parental investment in growth and development: Cape Verdean migrants in a portuguese poor neighbourhood

Background Cape Verde has produced migrants over the centuries. Its history and geography have compelled males and females to leave their homeland in search of resources to invest in their family s survival and development. Literature on parental investment has evidenced the association between investment in embodied capital during infancy and early childhood and its outcomes at later stages. However, these studies seldom address migrant population. Aim This study aims to gain a better understanding of the relationship in a migratory context between parental investment in infancy and its outcomes in prepuberty embodied capital, among Cape Verdean children living in Cova da Moura, a deprived neighbourhood in Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Portugal. Methods A mixed method s approach combining quantitative with qualitative studies - is used. The prepubertal capital of the 221 schoolchildren attending the basic school located in Cova da Moura is assessed through Anthropometry and educational records analysis. The parental investment in infancy of 75 is analysed through interviews with parents and combined documentation (e.g. health booklets, reports, legislation). Results The key findings are: 1)Children are born and raised between 1997 and 2002, a time characterized by a favourable socioeconomic development in Portugal in general and Cova da Moura in particular. 2)In spite of living in a so called deprived neighbourhood , the school children linear growth falls into the healthy range of the III NHANES growth reference, and it is slightly better than the linear growth of other groups of children measured in Portugal in late 1980s and early 2000. School-oriented cognitive development is not adequate, however. A third of the students have not a regular school performance. 3)Parental investment in infancy is significantly associated to prepubertal physical growth and school-oriented cognitive development. The size effect is, however, small

A Queer Series of Events: A Comparative Examination of Same-Sex Marriage Legalization

As of 2020, same-sex marriage has been legalized at the national level in 28 countries. This dissertation examines the factors that make legalization of same-sex marriage (same-sex marriage) more likely. Using quantitative analysis and a customized index, The Rainbow Index, to capture overall country friendliness towards LGB equality, this dissertation shows that a combination of secular and emancipative values, a high degree of LGB mobilization capacity, and opportunities for transnational advocacy networks to connect with and support local activists make legalization more likely. Furthermore, this combination of variables, which together represent a country’s friendliness to LGB equality, is more predictive of same-sex marriage legalization than the effects of modernization. Case study qualitative analysis drawing from the cases of Colombia, Japan, Mexico, and Taiwan will also be conducted based on the quantitative findings

Permanent Citizens Assemblies: A New Model for Public Deliberation

For a growing number of people, democracy has become synonymous with broken promises and abandoned commitments. Governments everywhere are not listening to their citizens’ concerns on matters of fundamental importance. As a result, ordinary men and women of all political persuasions are demanding transformations, not just to government policies, but to the methods of governance themselves. They realize that in the periods between general elections, they have great difficulty having their voices heard, because they have no formal role in constructing political agendas. This book focuses on one way to address this problem, by establishing a continual dialogue between individuals and their governments, hence forcing politicians to constantly pay attention to “the people.” Larry Patriquin argues for the creation of permanent citizens’ assemblies, which would be charged with examining issues of public concern and giving advice to governments. For those troubled by our current democratic impasse, Permanent Citizens’ Assemblies: A New Model for Public Deliberation will give hope that practical reforms are possible and that new institutions can become effective components of governance in nations across the globe

Analysis of selected factors as predictors of surviving family members\u27 attitudes towards euthanasia

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to analyze factors which may relate to surviving family members\u27 attitudes toward euthanasia and to determine their significance, if any. This research used data which were collected by telephone survey from a sampling frame comprised of adult surviving family members whose names were listed in the Knoxville News Sentinel between July 1997 and April 1998. One thousand, six hundred seventy eight adults were listed on the sampling frame. Three hundred forty nine persons were randomly selected from the population to ensure a 95% confidence level and a permissible error of ± .04. The response rate based on the number of persons completing the survey relative to the number in the sample was 38%. The response rate which took into consideration those in the sample who were noneligible and nonreachable was 85%. The survey instrument was comprised of three scales: a euthanasia preference scale, a general self-efficacy scale, and an intrinsic religious orientation scale. Additionally, respondents were asked to complete a demographics section. A pilot study was carried out using sixty persons randomly drawn from the sampling frame to assess the survey instrument. SPSS® was used to carry out an item analysis of the scales resulting in the following Cronbach Alpha values: euthanasia scale (76); self- efficacy scale (84); and, intrinsic religious orientation scale (.66). Data were analyzed using regression analysis in SPSS®. Following the data analysis, it was concluded that the correlation (-0.44 at p\u3c0.001) and regression model (p \u3c0.001) show that there is a significant inverse relationship between the euthanasia and intrinsic religious orientation scores in this study. However, relationships between other predictors did not exist or were not able to be tested in this study due to paucity of data in some data cells. In conclusion, within the limitations of this study, intrinsic religious orientation is a predictor of euthanasia preference among surviving immediate family members

The Next Generation

One fifth of the population of the United States belongs to the immigrant or second generations. While the US is generally thought of as the immigrant society par excellence, it now has a number of rivals in Europe. The Next Generation brings together studies from top immigration scholars to explore how the integration of immigrants affects the generations that come after. The original essays explore the early beginnings of the second generation in the United States and Western Europe, exploring the overall patterns of success of the second generation. While there are many striking similarities in the situations of the children of labor immigrants coming from outside the highly developed worlds of Europe and North America, wherever one looks, subtle features of national and local contexts interact with characteristics of the immigrant groups themselves to create variations in second-generation trajectories. The contributors show that these issues are of the utmost importance for the future, for they will determine the degree to which contemporary immigration will produce either durable ethno-racial cleavages or mainstream integration. Contributors: Dalia Abdel-Hady, Frank D. Bean, Susan K. Brown, Maurice Crul, Nancy A. Denton, Rosita Fibbi, Nancy Foner, Anthony F. Heath, Donald J. Hernandez, Tariqul Islam, Frank Kalter, Philip Kasinitz, Mark A. Leach, Mathias Lerch, Suzanne E. Macartney, Karen G Marotz, Noriko Matsumoto, Tariq Modood, Joel Perlmann, Karen Phalet, Jeffrey G. Reitz, Rubén G. Rumbaut, Roxanne Silberman, Philippe Wanner, Aviva Zeltzer-Zubida, andYe Zhang