First Do No Harm: Advancing Public Health In Policing Practices

This report contains recommendations on how community health providers and police can work together to promote access to health services for marginalized populations often caught up in the criminal justice system -- people who live in poverty, use drugs, or live with mental illness -- while reducing needless and expensive cycles of arrest and incarceration. It provides practical strategies for incorporating principles of harm reduction -- which aims to remedy the negative effects of drug use and other high-risk behaviors, even when people are not ready or willing to give up the behavior -- and health promotion into policing practices. The report is the latest in a series from Vera's Justice Reform for Healthy Communities Initiative, which aims to improve the health and well-being of the individuals and communities most affected by mass incarceration. At the center of these communities are the millions of medically vulnerable and socially marginalized people who cycle through the criminal justice system each year instead of receiving the care they need, often due to being arrested on minor offenses such as drug possession, loitering, or public intoxication

First-Episode Incarceration: Creating a Recovery-Informed Framework for Integrated Mental Health and Criminal Justice Responses

The number of people diagnosed with serious mental illness in the U.S. criminal justice system has reached unprecedented levels. Increasingly, people recognize that the justice system is no substitute for a well-functioning community mental health system. Although a range of targeted interventions have emerged over the past two decades, existing approaches have done little to reduce the overall number of incarcerated people with serious mental illness. This report, modeled on promising approaches in the mental health field to people experiencing a first episode of psychosis, outlines a new integrated framework that encourages the mental health and criminal justice fields to collaborate on developing programs based on early intervention, an understanding of the social determinants that underlie ill health and criminal justice involvement, and recovery-oriented treatment. The analysis, observations, and recommendations in this report are based on an extensive review of the literature in both the mental health and criminal justice fields, as well as on interviews with 11 national and local practitioners, policymakers, academics, and others involved in responses to people with mental illness who are at risk of running afoul of the criminal justice system.a The authors examined peer-reviewed journals, white papers, and reports from government, professional organizations, and nonprofits. After compiling information on national practices, they interviewed 11 stakeholders chosen for their leadership capacity at a variety of organizations that serve people with behavioral health needs affected by the justice system. Although the interviewees' specialties differed, they all answered questions about:emerging practices or programs that merit more evaluation and attention;opportunities for applying mental health service models to clients in criminal justice settings;promising programs using peer counseling;the potential application of mental health recovery frameworks to people in the criminal justice system; andthe promise of interventions attuned to environment-based and place-based frameworks

A General Framework for Complex Time-Driven Simulations on Hypercubes

We describe a general framework for building and running complex time-driven simulations with several levels of concurrency. The framework has been implemented on the Caltech/JPL Mark IIIfp hypercube using the Centaur communications protocol. Our framework allows the programmer to break the hypercube up into one or more subcubes of arbitrary size (task parallelism). Each subcube runs a separate application using data parallelism and synchronous communications internal to the subcube. Communications between subcubes are performed with asynchronous messages. Subcubes can each define their own parameters and commands which drive their particular application. These are collected and organized by the Control Processor (CP) in order that the entire simulation can be driven from a single command-driven shell. This system allows several programmers to develop disjoint pieces of a large simulation in parallel and to then integrate them with little effort. Each programmer is, of course, also able to take advantage of the separate data and I/O processors on each hypercube node in order to overlap calculation and communication (on-board parallelism) as well as the pipelined floating point processor on each node (pipelined processor parallelism). We show, as an example of the framework, a large space defense simulation. Functions (sensing, tracking, etc.) each comprise a subcube; functions are collected into defense platforms (satellites); and many platforms comprise the defense architecture. Software in the CP uses simple input to determine the node allocation to each function based on the desired defense architecture and number of platforms simulated in the hypercube. This allows many different architectures to be simulated. The set of simulated platforms, the results, and the messages between them are shown on color graphics displays. The methods used herein can be generalized to other simulations of a similar nature in a straightforward manner

A Study of Associations between Third Grade Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program Scores and Subsequent Scores in a Rural Tennessee School District.

This study was designed to examine the associations and differences that exist in the NCE scores of students on the TerraNova portion of the Tennessee Comprehensive Exam, as well as the possible influence of variables such as initial scores, grade level, gender, and free or reduced lunch status. The population consisted of a stable group of 49 students enrolled in a rural Tennessee school district reported to have taken the annual assessment at the same school as they progressed from 3rd to 8th grade during the 1999 to 2004 school years. The study focused on the performance of students over a six-year period. The analysis focused on eight research questions. The independent variables for the study were gender, socioeconomic status and grade level (test score reporting year). The dependent variables consisted of TerraNova value-added scores (NRT) and proficiency scores (CRT) translated to Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE) scores on the Reading / Language Arts and Mathematics portion of the TCAP. A combination of t test for independent samples, examination of effect size utilizing eta square (η2), and an analysis of data to determine correlation coefficient using Pearson\u27s product moment coefficients (r) were used in 50 hypotheses. Statistically significant results were discovered in the following instances: students\u27 3rd grade Math scores and the same students\u27 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Math scores; 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade Reading/Language Arts scores and free/reduced lunch status; 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade Math scores and free/reduced lunch status; 3rd grade Reading/Language Arts scores and the same students\u27 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Math scores; 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Reading/Language Arts scores and student gender; 5th and 6th grade Math scores and student gender; 2002 and 2003 mean gain scores and student gender

Henri Temianka Correspondence; (cloud)

This collection contains material pertaining to the life, career, and activities of Henri Temianka, violin virtuoso, conductor, music teacher, and author. Materials include correspondence, concert programs and flyers, music scores, photographs, and books.https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/temianka_correspondence/3469/thumbnail.jp

Brief of Scholars of the History and Original Meaning of the Fourth Amendment as Amici Curiae in Support of Petitioner, Carpenter v. United States, No. 16-402 (U.S. Aug. 14, 2017)

Obtaining and examining cell site location records to find a person is a “search” in any normal sense of the word — a search of documents and a search for a person and her personal effects. It is therefore a “search” within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment in that it constitutes “examining,” “exploring,” “looking through,” “inquiring,” “seeking,” or “trying to find.” Nothing about the text of the Fourth Amendment, or the historical backdrop against which it was adopted, suggests that “search” should be construed more narrowly as, for example, intrusions upon subjectively manifested expectations of privacy that society is prepared to recognize as reasonable.Entrusting government agents with unfettered discretion to conduct searches using cell site location information undermines Fourth Amendment rights. The Amendment guarantees “[t]he right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches.” The Framers chose that language deliberately. It reflected the insecurity they suffered at the hands of “writs of assistance,” a form of general warrant that granted state agents broad discretion to search wherever they pleased. Such arbitrary power was “unreasonable” to the Framers, being “against the reason of the common law,” and it was intolerable because of its oppressive impact on “the people” as a whole. As emphasized in one of the seminal English cases that inspired the Amendment, this kind of general power to search was “totally subversive of the liberty of the subject.” James Otis’s famous speech denouncing a colonial writ of assistance similarly condemned those writs as “the worst instrument of arbitrary power,” placing “the liberty of every man in the hands of every petty officer.” Thus, although those who drafted and ratified the Fourth Amendment could not have anticipated cellphone technology, they would have recognized the dangers inherent in any state claim of unlimited authority to conduct searches for evidence of criminal activity. Cell site location information provides insight into where we go and what we do. Because this information is constantly generated and can be retrieved by the government long after the activities it memorializes have taken place, unfettered government access to cell site location information raises the specter of general searches and undermines the security of “the people.

Tumor innate immunity primed by specific interferon-stimulated endogenous retroviruses.

Mesenchymal tumor subpopulations secrete pro-tumorigenic cytokines and promote treatment resistance1-4. This phenomenon has been implicated in chemorefractory small cell lung cancer and resistance to targeted therapies5-8, but remains incompletely defined. Here, we identify a subclass of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) that engages innate immune signaling in these cells. Stimulated 3 prime antisense retroviral coding sequences (SPARCS) are oriented inversely in 3' untranslated regions of specific genes enriched for regulation by STAT1 and EZH2. Derepression of these loci results in double-stranded RNA generation following IFN-γ exposure due to bi-directional transcription from the STAT1-activated gene promoter and the 5' long terminal repeat of the antisense ERV. Engagement of MAVS and STING activates downstream TBK1, IRF3, and STAT1 signaling, sustaining a positive feedback loop. SPARCS induction in human tumors is tightly associated with major histocompatibility complex class 1 expression, mesenchymal markers, and downregulation of chromatin modifying enzymes, including EZH2. Analysis of cell lines with high inducible SPARCS expression reveals strong association with an AXL/MET-positive mesenchymal cell state. While SPARCS-high tumors are immune infiltrated, they also exhibit multiple features of an immune-suppressed microenviroment. Together, these data unveil a subclass of ERVs whose derepression triggers pathologic innate immune signaling in cancer, with important implications for cancer immunotherapy

Wall expansion assessment of an intracranial aneurysm model by a 3D digital image correlation system

Intracranial aneurysm is a local dilatation of an intracranial artery with high risk of rupture and death. Although it is generally accepted that the weakening of the arterial wall is the main cause for the rupture of an aneurysm, it still no consensus about the reasons for its creation, expansion and rupture. In particular, what is the role played by the blood flow in these phenomena. In this way, the aim of this work is the in vitro mechanical assessment of the wall expansion, namely the displacements, deformations and strains occurring in a saccular intracranial aneurysm model, when subjected to different flow rates. To obtain new insights into the mechanisms involved in the aneurysm rupture, a 3D-VicTM Digital Image Correlation System was used and validated with a finite element analysis. The wall expansion results have revealed that the displacements, deformations and principal strains are directly related to the internal pressure caused by the fluid on the wall of the aneurism. These findings were especially observed in the weakened areas of the aneurysm model, where the wall was thinner. Furthermore, the technique used in this study has shown to be a potential method to validate numerical simulations of aneurysms, allowing the future performance of more complex and realistic haemodynamic studies.The authors acknowledge the financial support provided by PTDC/SAU-ENB/116929/2010, EXPL/EMSSIS/2215/2013 and UID/EQU/50020/2013 from FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia), COMPETE, QREN and European Union (FEDER). R.O. Rodrigues, D. Pinho and D. Bento acknowledge, respectively, the PhD scholarships SFRH/BD/97658/2013, SFRH/BD/89077/2012 and SFRH/BD/91192/2012 granted by FCT. Also the authors acknowledge the Vic-3DTM DIC System that was kindly borrowed by the University of Coimbra to the experimental execution of this work.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Relationship between bacterial strain type, host biomarkers, and mortality in clostridium difficile infection

Background: Despite substantial interest in biomarkers, their impact on clinical outcomes and variation with bacterial strain has rarely been explored using integrated databases. Methods: From September 2006 to May 2011, strains isolated from Clostridium difficile toxin enzyme immunoassay (EIA)-positive fecal samples from Oxfordshire, United Kingdom (approximately 600 000 people) underwent multilocus sequence typing. Fourteen-day mortality and levels of 15 baseline biomarkers were compared between consecutive C. difficile infections (CDIs) from different clades/sequence types (STs) and EIA-negative controls using Cox and normal regression adjusted for demographic/clinical factors. Results: Fourteen-day mortality was 13% in 2222 adults with 2745 EIA-positive samples (median, 78 years) vs 5% in 20 722 adults with 27 550 EIA-negative samples (median, 74 years) (absolute attributable mortality, 7.7%; 95% CI, 6.4%-9.0%). Mortality was highest in clade 5 CDIs (25% [16 of 63]; polymerase chain reaction (PCR) ribotype 078/ST 11), then clade 2 (20% [111 of 560]; 99% PCR ribotype 027/ST 1) versus clade 1 (12% [137 of 1168]; adjusted P <. 0001). Within clade 1, 14-day mortality was only 4% (3 of 84) in ST 44 (PCR ribotype 015) (adjusted P =. 05 vs other clade 1). Mean baseline neutrophil counts also varied significantly by genotype: 12.4, 11.6, and 9.5 × 109 neutrophils/L for clades 5, 2 and 1, respectively, vs 7.0 × 109 neutrophils/L in EIA-negative controls (P <. 0001) and 7.9 × 109 neutrophils/L in ST 44 (P =. 08). There were strong associations between C. difficile-type-specific effects on mortality and neutrophil/white cell counts (rho = 0.48), C-reactive-protein (rho = 0.43), eosinophil counts (rho =-0.45), and serum albumin (rho =-0.47). Biomarkers predicted 30%-40% of clade-specific mortality differences. Conclusions: C. difficile genotype predicts mortality, and excess mortality correlates with genotype-specific changes in biomarkers, strongly implicating inflammatory pathways as a major influence on poor outcome after CDI. PCR ribotype 078/ST 11 (clade 5) leads to severe CDI; thus ongoing surveillance remains essential

A tale of two towns: A comparative study exploring the possibilities and pitfalls of social capital among people seeking recovery from substance misuse

Background: Social capital has become an influential concept in debating and understanding the modern world. Within the drug and alcohol sector, the concept of ‘recovery capital’ has gained traction with researchers suggesting that people who have access to such capital are better placed to overcome their substance use-related problems than those who do not (Cloud and Granfield, 2008), leading to requests for interventions that focus on building social capital networks (Neale & Stevenson, 2015). While accepting that the concept of social capital has enormous potential for addressing the problems associated with drug use, this paper also considers its ‘dark side’. Methods: Data were drawn from semi-structured interviews with 180 participants including 135 people who use drugs and 45 people who formerly used drugs. Results: High levels of trust, acquired through the establishment of dense social networks, are required to initiate recovery. However, these ‘strong bonds’ may also lead to the emergence of what is perceived by others as an exclusive social network that limits membership to those who qualify and abide by the ‘rules’ of the recovery community, particularly around continuous abstinence. Conclusions: Depending on the nature of the networks and the types of links participants have into them being socially connected can both inhibit and encourage recovery. Therefore, the successful application of social capital within the drugs and alcohol field requires a consideration of not only the presence or absence of social connections but their nature, the value they produce, and the social contexts within which they are developed