Failing the race: a historical assessment of New Orleans Mayor Sidney Barthelemy, 1986-1994

New Orleans’ voters elected Sidney Barthelemy as the city’s second African American mayor in 1986. Historical treatments of Barthelemy’s tenure generally do not hold him in the same high regard as New Orleans’ first African American mayor, Ernest Morial. Yet, unfavorable evaluations of Barthelemy reflect the maturation of African American politics in the Crescent City. Symbolic victories no longer resonate with an African American populous in need of substantive gains to redress longstanding social and economic inequities. With the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the struggle for African American equality entered its next phase, the transition from protest to politics. Denied the vote for so long, African Americans typically assigned high, even unrealistic, expectations to the liberating possibilities of the ballot. Yet, the mayoral tenure of Sidney Barthelemy illustrates the limitations of electoral politics as a vehicle for African American advancement. The consolidation of African American political power in New Orleans produced uneven gains. While the African American middle class benefited from set-aside programs for minority businesses and increased access to municipal employment, African Americans at the lower rungs of the socioeconomic ladder realized little more than rhetorical service from the election black mayors. Black political power did not translate into black economic power. And cuts in state and federal funding, declining tax bases owing to white flight to the suburbs, and downturns in vital industries rendered Mayor Barthelemy impotent in uplifting conditions for poor and working-class African Americans. These findings suggest that the struggle for African American equality must permutate beyond the narrow confines of electoral politics

The Canine Behaviour Type Index

While working intensively with companion dogs it emerged that certain behavior types present particular management challenges in a domestic setting. Gosling, Kwan, John & Oliver validated the concept of dogs having a distinct measurable personality type (Gosling, Kwan, John, Oliver 2003 A Dog's Got Personality: A Cross-Species Comparative Approach to Personality Judgments in Dogs and Humans Journal of Personality & Social Psychology. 2003 Dec Vol 85(6) 1161-1169). Our team (Pet Connect) developed The Canine Behavior Type Index (CBTI) (Patent Pending) typing companion dogs into 12 distinct profiles. There are 3 psychological dimensions: (1) Environmental Order (either Organized or Spontaneous); (2) Social Order (either Alpha, Beta, or Gamma); (3) Motivation (either Medium or High) giving 12 possible outcomes. The CBTI is not breed specific though breeds may cluster around particular profiles. Questions were administered to 50 volunteer pet dog owners with 1-3 dogs each. Each owner played a board game in solitude. The board game has twenty-six two-sided cards with opposing statements about the dog. The owner selects the most appropriate statement about their dog. There were nine cards for each of the Environmental Order and Motivation dimensions, and eight for the Social Order dimension. The CBTI type was decided according to a majority of answers, then the corresponding CBTI printed profile given to the owner. The owner filled in a questionnaire about the perceived accuracy of the CBTI printed profile to their companion dog. In preliminary statistical analysis, the owner perceived accuracy ranged from 70-100 percent. The person administering the test was a Veterinary Behaviorist who also typed each dog independently of the owner, based on behavioral questions and observations. The correlation between the owners and the researcher's selected CBTI type is P is less than .01. The CBTI recognizes that certain canine psychological profiles best suit specific tasks and lifestyles. A behavior management plan was tailored to meet the specific needs of each CBTI profile. Each dog requires exercise, deference, environmental enrichment, rapport and respect exercises, though the relative importance and style of each exercise depends on the dog's CBTI profile

Youth and Adult Perceptions of Their Relationships Within Community-Based Youth Programs

This study examined perceptions and experiences of youth and adults engaged in various types of community-based youth-adult relationships. Involvement and interaction rating scales were completed by 108 participants involved in community groups from 12 communities in 10 states. The rating scale measured three constructs: youth involvement, adult involvement, and youth- adult interaction. Significant gender differences in participants’ perceptions were found on all three constructs, with females being more positive. Rural participants were found to be significantly more positive than urban participants on the construct of youth involvement. Finally, significant differences were found between all participants within categories of the youth-adult relationship continuum. Participants in youth-led collaborations were significantly more positive toward youth involvement than participants in adult-led collaborations. Moreover, adults in youth-adult partnerships were significantly more positive toward youth involvement and youth-adult interaction than those adults in adult-led collaborations

Final technical report for NSF grant #OCE 75-20241, entitled Identification and role of the ultraplankton of the lower Chesapeake Bay region

Numbers and species identities of the most dominant small (\u3c15μm) photosynthetic Plankton were determined from samples of lower Chesapeake Bay water. The data is being compared to physical and chemical measurements of the Bay waters in an effort to determine conditions which encourage or inhibit growth of the organisms. Pure cultures of some of the more common species have been established and are being used to evaluate the roles of the organisms in terms of photosynthetic rates and utilization and excretion of nitrogen compounds

CAYDO: Connecting the Gaps of Community Youth Assessments

Community-based assessments can be strategies that aim to work in partnership with individuals and organizations to empower communities. Often identified as a comparable alternative to needs assessments, Community YouthMapping has been developed to include youth in the community youth development process. However, the authors note significant gaps in Community YouthMapping and offer a new assessment technique that includes an adapted youth mapping process, Comprehensive Assessment of Youth Development Opportunities (CAYDO). This article takes an investigative look at the relevance of including this procedure as a needs assessment tool in the program planning and community development process

Determining the Quality of Youth-Adult Relationships Within Community-Based Youth Programs

There is a lack of research on assessing how society views youth voice and participation in youth programs. Youth taking on leadership roles and interacting with adults have shown success in establishing positive youth-adult relationships. This article introduces the Involvement and Interaction Rating Scale, a new measure that assesses the perceptions and experiences of youth and adult participants working together in various community-based efforts. The scale serves as a means to empower participants by enabling them to evaluate their own experiences to determine the quality of these experiences and acknowledge areas that need strengthening

Preoperative STOP-BANG Scores and Postoperative Delirium and Coma in Thoracic Surgery Patients

Background Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with higher rates of postoperative delirium. The relationship between preoperative OSA risk and postoperative delirium and coma in thoracic surgery patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU) is not well understood. This study tests the hypothesis that thoracic surgery patients hospitalized in ICU with a higher preoperative risk for OSA are more likely to develop postoperative delirium and coma, resulting in longer hospital stays. Methods Preoperative OSA risk was measured using the STOP-BANG questionnaire. STOP-BANG scores of ≥ 3 were defined as intermediate-high risk for OSA. 128 patients who underwent major thoracic surgery completed the STOP-BANG questionnaire preoperatively. The Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale was used to assess level of consciousness. The Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU was used to assess for delirium. Linear regression was used to assess the relationship between risk of OSA and outcome measures. Results were adjusted for age, gender, body mass index, Charlson Comorbidity Index, instrumental activities of daily living, and surgery type. Results 96 out of 128 patients (76%) were in the intermediate-high risk OSA group. Adjusted analyses showed that the intermediate-high risk OSA group had a longer duration of postoperative ICU delirium and coma compared to the low risk OSA group (1.4 days ± 1.3 vs 0.9 days ± 1.4; P = 0.04). Total number of hospital days was not significantly different. Conclusions Higher preoperative risk for OSA in thoracic surgery patients was associated with a longer duration of postoperative delirium and coma

Perioperative Risk Factors for Postoperative Delirium in Patients Undergoing Esophagectomy

Background Postoperative delirium affects up to 50% of patients undergoing esophagectomy and is associated with negative outcomes. The perioperative risk factors for delirium in this population are not well understood. We conducted this study to assess perioperative risk factors for postoperative delirium among esophagectomy patients. Methods We performed a secondary data analysis of patients enrolled in a randomized controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of haloperidol prophylaxis postoperatively in reducing delirium among esophagectomy patients. Postoperative delirium was assessed twice daily using the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU. Univariate and logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the association between perioperative variables and development of postoperative delirium. Results Of 84 consecutive esophagectomy patients, 27 (32%) developed postoperative delirium. Patients who developed postoperative delirium had higher APACHE II scores [22.1 (6.5) versus 17.4 (6.8); p=0.003], longer mechanical ventilation days [1.7 (1.4) versus 1.0 (1.1); p=0.001], and longer ICU days [5.1 (2.6) versus 2.6 (1.6); p<0.001]. In a logistic regression model, only ICU length of stay was found to have significant association with postoperative delirium [OR 1.65; 95% CI 1.21-2.25]. Conclusions ICU length of stay was significantly associated with postoperative delirium. Other perioperative factors including duration of surgery, blood loss, and hemoglobin levels were not significantly associated with postoperative delirium

Far-Term Exploration of Advanced Single-Aisle Subsonic Transport Aircraft Concepts

Far-term single-aisle class aircraft concepts for potential entry-into-service of 2045 were investigated using an Interactive Reconfigurable Matrix of Alternatives (IRMA) approach. The configurations identified through this design space exploration were then distilled into three advanced aircraft concepts best characterizing the prominent features identified through the IRMA exploration. These three aircraft concepts were then configured and sized for a 150-passenger capacity and a 3,500 nautical mile design mission. Mission block fuel burn was estimated and compared to a far-term conventional configuration baseline concept and a 2005 l. These comparisons suggest considerable potential improvements in fuel efficiency from the investigated advanced concepts

The SCRA Public Policy Committee in Action: Advocacy, Collaboration, and Capacity Building

Interest in social policy work has been on the rise in the Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA). SCRA’s Public Policy Committee aims to affect local, state, and national policy on topics relevant to community psychology through advocacy, collaboration, and capacity building. To communicate SCRA’s perspective on pressing social issues, the Public Policy Committee created a policy position statement procedure to address ongoing problems and a rapid response action procedure for urgent matters (e.g., advocacy campaigns). Options for dissemination of policy initiatives include The Community Psychologist (TCP), American Journal of Community Psychology (AJCP), SCRA listservs, and others. Examples of position statements approved or under development include mass incarceration, juvenile justice, immigration reform, and global climate change. Examples of past rapid response actions include the areas of gun legislation, sequester cuts, and psychologists’ involvement in torture. To expand SCRA’s policy reach, SCRA has partnered with other organizations in capacity building efforts. For example, SCRA and the Public Policy Committee partnered with the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI) to conduct a Short Course in Policy Involvement and an advocacy training day on Capitol Hill (United States Congress).&nbsp;Finally, the Public Policy Committee has engaged in strategic initiatives to increase the capacity of SCRA members to engage in policy and advocacy work. Strategic initiatives include the annual SCRA Public Policy Small Grants Program, student practicum positions on the Public Policy Committee, surveys of SCRA membership regarding policy and advocacy engagement, and a policy track at SCRA biennial conferences