Post-Pandemic, but Not Post-Racial

The Fair Housing Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act have had measurable success in providing opportunities to address intentional discrimination in housing and voting contexts. Plaintiffs with evidence of direct illegalities have clear frameworks under which justice may be sought, and both Acts provide a path for relief upon violations of housing and voting rights because of one’s membership in a protected class. However, the disparate impact theories that are cognizable under both Acts have been scrutinized for lackluster results. Practitioners and academicians have written about and experienced the difficulties plaintiffs face in successfully proving that a particular housing practice or policy is the cause of specific discriminatory outcomes, given the interrelated factors that give rise to segregation. Similarly, the gutting of the preclearance requirements in the Voting Rights Act, coupled with the onslaught of voter suppression legislation in the last few years, create obstacles to satisfy the complicated “totality of the circumstances” test required to evidence disparate impact under the Voting Rights Act. In addition to critiquing the limits of each Act, this Article explains how racial disparities in poverty and health are exacerbated by these limitations. Systems and individuals seeking to exploit people of color through oppressive housing and voting laws rely on the failure of the Fair Housing Act and Voting Rights Act to eradicate segregation, with determinants in each sphere perpetuating the discrimination within the other. The Article sets forth federal action that can be taken to mitigate these inequities

The Spectra of Hydrogen-deficient Carbon Stars: The Effects of Evolution and Nucleosynthesis

The rare class of stars known as the Hydrogen-deficient Carbon (HdC) stars includes the R Coronae Borealis (RCB) variables and the non-variable Dustless HdC (dLHdC) stars. These stars are believed to be formed via the merger of two white dwarf (WD) stars. They are known to exhibit many spectral peculiarities, such as partial helium burning products, enhancement of s-processed material and severe hydrogen-deficiency. In this work I explore many facets of HdC evolution. I begin by creating 18 HdC models in the stellar evolution code Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA) by merging two WD progenitors and evolving the post-merger star. These models span a range of metallicities and post-merger He-burning shell temperatures, and we find the best model to have 10% solar metallicity and a He-burning shell temperature of about 3.00 x 10^8 K. Next, I examine a multitude of HdC spectra for evidence of unique s-process enhancements and find a subclass of six HdC stars that I denote as Sr-rich. These stars show strongly enhanced light s-process elements such as Sr and Y, however the heavy s-process elements show significantly less enhancement, indicating a weak neutron exposure event. I also use the HdC MESA models to estimate a probable neutron exposure for a typical HdC, however this exercise does not explain the current amount of s-processed material in a typical HdC spectrum. Lastly, I use a combination of the MK process, a principal component analysis (PCA), and K-means clustering to create a spectral classification system for HdCs. This system is strongly inspired by the system used for traditional carbon stars, and notes many of the known spectral peculiarities in HdCs, including the Sr-rich class and some unique stars that show Li or H features

Opioids Are The New Black

The crack epidemic swept through the black community in the United States in the early 1980s. Despite the increasing use of powder cocaine in metropolitan areas and suburbs, the “crackheads” giving birth to “crack babies” were subject to narratives that portrayed black drug users as a threat to others, which was to be contained rather than treated. The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 created stricter penalties for users. The mandatory minimums disproportionately incarcerated African Americans and adversely impacted a number of urban neighborhoods. The psychology driving the mandate to incarcerate African American, impoverished drug addicts relied on tales of gang warfare, laziness, and child neglect. Now, the opioid crisis is considered a national emergency, as declared by President Trump in October 2017. The users of these drugs span an economic and racial spectrum, with a particular emphasis in rural communities. For example, one in seven opioid users in Ohio is a construction worker. The employment of crack addicts in the 1980s was not a subject of research, legislation, or news. This Article examines the importance of stories, particularly those with racial tropes, in the creation and enforcement of drug legislation. The environments in which crack was prevalent are marked by economic distress. Disinvestment and high poverty rates in these low-income, minority neighborhoods are more commonly framed as personal failures by criminals. The story of opioids is centered on a group of people who can be saved through healthcare, treatment, and leniency. If the stories of crack addicts focused on victims of external circumstances rather than villains by individual choice, it is likely that the persistence of poverty in African American neighborhoods would have a different ending

African-American Collegiate Women\u27s Perception And Participation In Physical Activity

ABSTRACT AA COLLEGE WOMEN’’S PERCEPTION AND PARTICIPATION IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY by LAUREN SCOTT March 2018 Advisor: Dr. Bo Shen Major: Kinesiology Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Overview: In the United States, adult engagement in physical inactivity has decreased since the implementation of the 2008 PA guidelines. In 2013, only 20% of Americans met the PA recommendations. In 2014, research showed that 23% of adults did not engage in any leisure PA in the United States (U.S Department of Health and Human Services, 2016). In general, females were found to be less active than males from youth through adulthood (Matthews et al, 2007). With research showing women are less active than men, it is important to take a more in-depth look at this population and its subsets. Research has shown that ethnic minorities, such as AA and Hispanic women, are less active than white women (Wilcox, Castro, King, Housemann & Brownson, 2000). Research also revealed that AA women have the lowest levels of PA and over 50% of AA women participate in less than 1 hour of PA per week and only 20 minutes of MVPA (Cowie et al, 1993; Felton et al, 2002; Troiano et al, 2007). Currently 18 million adults between the ages of 18-24 are enrolled in college in the United States (Fountaine et al, 2011). Collegiate students’ levels of PA are not higher than the general population. According to the American College Health Association 21.6% of collegiate students were overweight and 12.5% were classified as obese (American College Health Association, 2011). In a 2016, the American College Health Association (ACHA) found that only 20.5% of college student reported participation in moderate aerobic PA between 5-7 days a week. Male collegiate students are more physically active than female collegiate students (Buckworth & Nigg, 2004; Keating, et al, 2005) and overall, only 18% of collegiate students engage in PA five or more days a week (Fountaine et al, 2011). Currently there is an abundance of literature focused on PA levels of AA females in urban areas; however, most of this work concentrates on youth in grades kindergarten-12th and populations 35 years old and up (Garcia et al, 1995; Martin et al, 2011) (Felton et al, 2002; Harley et al, 2002). There is not much research on AA collegiate women’s PA levels and what antecedents or determinants for PA engagement may exist. Improving collegiate students’ PA levels is a major concern, as studies uncovered that the PA patterns of college seniors continue into their adulthood (Keating et al, 2005, CDC, 2009). It is estimated that nearly 81-85% of adults keep the same PA behaviors they practiced during their senior year of college (Todd, Czyszczon, Carr, & Pratt, 2009, Driskell, Goebel, & Kim, 2005). While college campuses can be a great beacon for shaping PA, there is not enough research illustrating how much of an impact this environment has on this population. The purpose of the study is to examine AA collegiate women’s intention and actual PA participation and how their perceptions of cultural and gender identify influence their decision making about PA participation. Methods: Both Quantitative and Qualitative approaches were explored when collecting data for the current study. 97 AA Collegiate women were recruited from an Urban University during the spring and fall semesters of 2017. Participants completed online self-report surveys measuring physical activity participation, campus environment variables, neighborhood environmental factors and motivation/intention. 31 of the 97 participants volunteered to participate in focus groups to discuss cultural and environmental factors that influence their perception and decisions to engage in physical activity. Findings: A multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine the influence the study variables had on participants PA engagement. Participants attitude, perceived behavioral control and neighborhood environment significantly influenced participants PA participation. Analysis of the qualitative data revealed that participants attitudes toward PA were dependent upon their current level of PA, time restraint was the biggest barrier to PA engagement for this population and body image and media portrayal were major cultural influences on perception and participation of PA for AA collegiate women

The role of \u3ci\u3ePhilornis downsi\u3c/i\u3e in avian disease transmission in the Galápagos Islands

Philornis downsi is a dipteran fly species known to parasitize passerine birds in the Neotropics. P. downsi is speculated to be a recently introduced species in Galápagos Islands, so it is important to understand its effects on the archipelago’s native and endemic avian species. Avian parasites and pathogens have been previously reported in the Galápagos, leading the Galápagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Foundation to focus efforts on the study and management of potential avian disease vectors. The main goal of this study was to determine whether P. downsi is a host for avian parasites and pathogens found in the Galápagos Islands. In Chapter I, I initially discuss introduced species as avian disease agents or vectors and highlight previous studies focused in Galápagos. Detailed background information on the life history and ecology of P. downsi is provided, followed by a review of the literature on insects as vectors of avian disease. In Chapter II, I report research conducted on P. downsi, assessing its capability of hosting avian parasites. Using molecular techniques, we tested P. downsi adults for haemosporidian parasites and Trypanosoma, as well as microfilarial nematodes, all parasites that have been described in Galápagos birds. We did not detect the presence of avian parasites of these genera, nor did we detect filarial nematodes; however, we did detect insect-specific trypanosomatids within P. downsi samples with a 0.90 overall prevalence. Our results suggest P. downsi is not a host of the avian parasites and pathogens for which I screened, indicating it is not a suitable vector; however, further research should be conducted. We recommend future studies to include testing of P. downsi larvae, an expanded geographical range for sample collection, and inclusion of other avian parasites and arboviruses

Effects of Chlordiazepoxide on Predator Odor-Induced Reductions of Playfulness in Juvenile Rats

The extent to which a non-sedative dose of chlordiazepoxide (CDP) is able to modify the behavioral responses toward a predator odor was assessed in juvenile rats. Play behavior was suppressed and defensive behaviors were enhanced in the presence of a collar previously worn by a cat, when tested 24 hours later in the same context as that where the exposure occurred, and when tested in a context different than that in which the exposure occurred for up to 3 hours after exposure. CDP had no effect on the ability of cat odor to suppress play when rats were tested in the presence of the odor or when tested 24 hours later in the same context where that exposure occurred. When rats were exposed to a worn cat collar in their home cage and tested in a different context CDP attenuated the ability of cat odor to reduce one measure of play (nape contacts) but not another measure (pins). Rats had an opportunity to hide during testing and CDP either decreased hiding or increased risk assessment from within the hide box in all of the testing scenarios. These data suggest that CDP can alter the defensive strategy used by juvenile rats that are confronted with a predatory threat and can also lead to an earlier return to pre-threat levels of playfulness when that threat becomes less immediate

The Effect of Goal Setting, Motivation, and Fitness Trackers on Daily Step Counts

Purpose: Wearable devices for tracking health and fitness-related activities are thought to motivate individuals to participate in regular exercise. It has been suggested that personal activity trackers can empower individuals to create and keep fitness goals. Therefore, this research was conducted to examine whether using a fitness tracking device in combination with working towards a given goal, self-reporting daily steps, and receiving motivational emails would increase physical activity. Methods: 44 participants (13 males, 31 females) were recruited and randomized into either an experimental (goal setting) or control group (n=22 per group). Participants reported step counts every day for four weeks using an online form. After the first week of data collection, daily step count averages were calculated and goals were given to participants in the experimental group, by adding 500 steps to their daily average. Participants were notified of this goal and sent motivational emails each week, while participants in the control group were not given a specific goal or motivation. Results: Week one step count averages were similar between groups (8460.9 ± 3329.8 steps for the control group and 8783.6 ± 4317.6 steps for the experimental group). Step counts declined in both groups across the three-week period. The week three average was 7731.8 ± 4231.5 steps for the control group and 7642.1 ± 4208.9 steps for the experimental group. Despite email encouragement in the experimental group, only 40.9 percent met their given goal in week one. By the third week, only 27.3 percent of participants in the experimental group met their goal, missing this goal by an average of 1595.88 ± 3294 steps. Participants reported that the use of these devices encouraged them to participate in physical activity (44.8 percent of the control group and 63.7 percent of the experimental group) despite the declining step count trend observed. 69.6 percent of the control group and 72.7 percent of the experimental group reported that they would continue to wear a fitness tracking device outside of the study. Conclusion: There was no significant difference between experimental and control groups with their adherence to the program and step count levels throughout each week. Both groups on average did not reach the widely accepted recommendation of 10,000 steps per day. Interestingly, the majority of participants reported that they still plan to use a fitness tracking device in the future and consider them to be a piece of motivational technology