The Super Bowl\u27s Economic Impact on its Host City

In this paper, I am going to discuss the major differences between the sports boosters\u27 pregame estimates compared to the economists\u27 post game analysis. In my research, I analyze all 32 cities with an NFL team over the most recent 20 years to see if there is a significant impact on the host\u27s economy. This research will show if increasing local taxes in order to host the game yields an increase in per capita GDP after the game. Tax payers accept higher tax rates under the impression that, after the game, their city will reap massive benefits from hosting the game. My results will either justify the increase in taxes for local citizens, suggest that citizens have no reason to accept a higher tax rate, or show that there is more research that needs to be done on this topic

Dear mama, these cops don’t understand me: The influence of mental health stigma on youth incarceration

Youth within the juvenile justice system have a higher prevalence of mental illness when compared to the general population, with some literature revealing up to 80% of incarcerated youth possess a diagnosable disorder (Shufelt & Cocozza, 2006; Underwood & Washington, 2016). Today, mental health stigma is widely prevalent and results in prejudice, discrimination, lowered self-esteem, and other negative outcomes for individuals struggling with mental health related issues (Corrigan & Watson, 2002; Dalgin & Gilbride 2003). With this in mind, the role mental health stigma plays in the lives of youth in the juvenile justice system should not be overlooked. Although stigma towards adult mental health is a well-studied area, stigma of child and adolescent mental health is an area that remains largely under-conceptualized and underresearched (Heflinger & Hinshaw, 2010). Thus, the current study seeks to examine the perceptions of youth within the juvenile justice system regarding their own experience with mental illness stigma. Participants were sampled from the Kansas Juvenile Correctional Facility (KJCC). Youth were asked to complete several questionnaires to assess their views toward mental illness as a whole, personal experiences with stigma, adverse childhood experiences (ACE), feelings toward available mental health resources at the facility, and the role of mental illness stigma in their incarceration. First, researchers hypothesized youth with greater self-stigma would indicate stigma played a greater role in their incarceration than those youth who indicate less self-stigma. Next, researchers hypothesized youth with a high number of adverse childhood experiences would indicate stigma had a greater influence on their incarceration. Finally, researchers hypothesized perceived self-stigma would be positively correlated with perceived stigma of mental illness overall. i The hypotheses of the current study were found to be non-significant. Thus, exploratory analyses were conducted. When assessing only those youth indicating an experience with internalized stigma of a mental illness, ACEs were able to predict the influence mental health stigma had on incarceration. The more a youth indicated feeling the presence of internalized stigma, the more they felt treatment surrounding their mental illness influenced their incarceration. Despite lacking support for original hypotheses, the current study begins to shine light into mental health, trauma, and treatment experiences of juvenile justice-involved youth. While youth perceptions of mental illness were overall positive in the current study, stigma of mental illness continues to plague society as a whole (see Corrigan & Watson, 2002; Muralidharan et al., 2017). Future studies in this area should continue to examine how these experiences and others guide youth into the system

Relationships of temperament, endocrine, reproductive, and behavioral parameters measured during performance testing of bulls

The aim of this study was to examine relationships between bull temperament, behavior, growth, endocrine, and reproductive parameters measured over an 84 d test period. Bulls (n = 65) were reared in 6 pens separated on BW and age. Pen scores were assigned on d -1, 27, 55 and 83. On d 0, 28, 56, and 84, exit velocity, BW, time it took each bull to leave the chute, bull order through chute, and hair and blood samples were recorded or collected. Frame score was calculated, carcass ultrasounds and breeding soundness exams were performed on d 84. ADG was calculated for each period (period 1 = d 0-28; period 2 = d 29-56; period 3 = d 57-84) and over the 84 d. Bulls (n=30; 3 pens) received dataloggers to measure activity during period 1 and 3. Bulls were categorized into three temperament (pen score + exit velocity / 2) categories (docile, intermediate, and temperamental). Temperamental bulls tended (P=0.07) to enter the chute system prior to docile bulls on d 84 and weighed less (P\u3c0.05) than docile bulls on d 0, 28, and 56. Frame score was less (P\u3c0.05) for temperamental bulls than docile bulls on d 84 (5.88 ± 0.13 vs. 6.34 ± 0.18). Bulls categorized as intermediate on d 56 had greater (P\u3c0.05; 2.10 ± 0.04 kg/d) overall ADG than docile (1.94 ± 0.06 kg/d) and temperamental bulls (1.92 ± 0.06 kg/d). Docile bulls had greater serum (P=0.06) and hair testosterone (P\u3c0.05) and lower (P\u3c0.05) serum cortisol concentration than temperamental bulls on d 56. Docile and intermediate bulls tended (P=0.07) to have a lower percentage of primary spermatic defects (20.58 ± 4.86 %) than temperamental bulls (38.01 ± 8.06 %) on d 84. Serum testosterone measured on d 28 and 56 was positively correlated to BW (r = 0.47 and 0.39; P\u3c0.01). On d 28, BW was positively correlated (r = 0.32; P\u3c0.05) to hair testosterone and negatively correlated to hair cortisol (r = -0.31; P\u3c0.05). In conclusion, selecting bulls based on docility could increase BW, frame score, serum and hair testosterone concentration, and lower serum cortisol concentrations

Understanding the influence of synchronization of ovulation on steroid bioavailability and its association with the presence of \u3ci\u3ePseudomonas aeruginosa\u3c/i\u3e within the bovine reproductive tract

Corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG) transports glucocorticoids and progesterone, but little is known about CBG in the bovine reproductive tract. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an environmental bacteria capable of colonizing the vaginal cavity of other species. P. aeruginosa presence within the bovine vaginal cavity is not well characterized, yet evidence suggests that a controlled internal drug release device (CIDR) can alter the bacterial abundance within the cavity. P. aeruginosa produces a protease that cleaves the reactive center loop of CBG allowing for the release of the steroid into its active form. Thus, the objective of this study was to examine effects of progesterone released from a CIDR on circulating and vaginal concentrations of CBG, the proportion of free progesterone and cortisol, and presence of P. aeruginosa following synchronization of ovulation. Prior to CIDR insertion (d -7) and following removal (d 0), blood and vaginal flush samples were collected from each heifer (n=67). Plasma collected at pregnancy diagnosis (d 38) from pregnant heifers (n=24) had greater (P=0.02) concentrations of progesterone than samples collected on d -7, but were similar to those measured on d 0. Similarly, plasma CBG concentrations measured on d -7 and 0 did not differ, but were greatest (P=0.03) on d 38. The free progesterone index (FPI) calculated from progesterone and CBG concentrations measured on the three sampling days were not different (P=0.16). During the CIDR insertion period, P. aeruginosa abundance decreased (P\u3c0.0001), and on d 0, P. aeruginosa abundance was related to both CBG concentration (r=-0.25; P=0.05) and FCI (r=0.37; P=0.004). The third study aimed to determine if CBG mRNA is expressed within the vagina and uterus of abattoir-sourced reproductive tracts (n=3) to determine the source of CBG within the vaginal cavity. In the tissues collected, CBG gene was not expressed within the vaginal epithelium, but was expressed in the uterine endometrium. In summary, CIDR insertion did not affect CBG concentrations, but CBG may regulate the free fraction of progesterone in circulation during early gestation. Additionally, P. aeruginosa within the vaginal cavity of heifers may alter the free proportion of cortisol as seen by a reduction in CBG concentration

Exposure to Urbanized Poverty and Attitude Change: A Longitudinal Case Study on Service-Learning with Rural Undergraduate Criminal Justice Students

Criminal justice departments recognize the value of connecting students to real-world problems through service-learning activities. Yet, challenges exist in exposing students to diverse populations. The current study stepped outside the classroom, involving an extra-curricular group of criminal justice students, in a unique service-learning project. Students from a rurally located university traveled to the most poverty-stricken area in Los Angeles, California, known as Skid Row. Students partnered with The Burrito Project, making and serving 950 burritos to people living on the streets. To assess the impact on exposure to poverty, students completed a pre and post-test utilizing the Undergraduate Perceptions of Poverty Tracking Survey. Four years later, follow-up interviews were conducted. Survey results suggest no significant changes pre/post project completion while longitudinal interviews yielded rich data on the project impact. Future directions including criminal justice students within service-learning projects are discussed, especially considering inclusion of students early within their academic careers

Common sense coping: Improving sensory resources in rural schools

Special education funding and resources for schools are often limited and prevent inclusion of specialized sensory items. Litvinov (2015) argues the government has done a poor job of funding the special education initiative. Although the use of sensory materials has proven to be successful in reducing distress and improving self-soothing among youth (Novak, Scanlan, McCaul, MacDonald, & Clarke, 2012), many children with special needs receive only materials and resources districts are able to afford. While this lack of funding poses an issue for all districts, rural communities may be placed at an even greater disadvantage (Azano & Tackett, 2019). The proposed project seeks to incorporate sensory materials into a rural special education classroom to assess behaviors and benefits. Data will be gathered using a pre-posttest method to compare behavioral data charted by the school during the 2019/20 school year to the 2020/21 school year following implementation of sensory items. Specifically, data will be compared in the following areas: regulated behavior, disruptive behavior, aggressive behavior, and overall time of dysregulation. Future directions and implications for the project will be discussed

Federal Sentencing Disparities and Marginalized Offenders: Revisiting Cumulative Disadvantage Theory Through Individual-Level Variables

Over the past several decades, sentencing reforms have claimed to establish guidelines to reduce sentencing disparity; yet, recent studies continue to find discrepancies in sentencing outcomes. The current study explored individual factors using data from the U.S. Sentencing Commission (FY 2010) to further analyze these variables through the lens of cumulative disadvantage theory. The factors included the influence of age, race, sex (gender), offense type, instant offense score, and overall criminal history score on sentencing length (in months). Hierarchical regression revealed being identified as Black, committing fraud/white collar crime or a property offense, and overall criminal history were able to significantly predict sentence length—findings consistent with cumulative disadvantage theory. Contrary to previous studies, the current results suggest that age may have a positive relationship with sentencing length. The findings are not without limitations but do provide a modern-day picture of continued marginalization of certain defendants within the criminal justice system

Community stakeholders’ perceptions of crime and victimization: A mixed-methods approach to understanding collective efficacy and social cohesion in the rural heartland

Previous criminological literature has mostly neglected rural communities, often treating these places as smaller pieces of urban culture. Literature suggests rural communities operate differently than urban neighborhoods, with distinctive values, norms, and community cohesion. For example, concepts surrounding collective efficacy may work counterproductively in rural areas—further exploiting outed community members within “close-knit” environments. The current study sought to compare perceptions of collective efficacy and social cohesion, crime, and victimization between rural and urban counties across one Midwestern rural state. Using a mixed-methods approach, community stakeholders from a variety of professions were surveyed. Quantitative results suggest similar perceptions of collective efficacy and social cohesion in rural and urban communities while qualitative responses paint a much different picture—an image of rural communities “minding their own business” and both formally and informally intervening only in the most extreme and personalized scenarios

The Stigma of Metal Illness

The American Democracy Project hosted a Times Talk event on October 9th at 12:30-1:30pm in the South Study Area of Forsyth Library. Faculty member Brooke Mann and graduate assistant Ashley Lockwood from the Psychology Department presented about the Stigma of Mental Illness. Free pizza and salad provided to the first 20 attendees

The Adolescent Brain of the So Called Juvenile Super Predator

The American Democracy Project and Forsyth Library welcome Dr. April Terry of the Criminal Justice Department and Ashley Lockwood, a graduate student from Psychology, to present “Super Predator” on Wednesday, March 27, 2019 in the South Study Area at 12:30pm for Times Talk: The Adolescent Brain of the So-Called Juvenile “Super Predator”