The impact of the 287(g) program on processes of Hispanic integration and engagement : a case study of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina

This research explores the impacts of a federal-local partnership called the 287(g) program on the processes of integration of Hispanics in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina. Federal 287(g) allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to partner with state and local authorities to enact several immigration enforcement functions. In 2006, Mecklenburg County signed the 287(g) agreement to authorize a number of local sheriff deputies to determine the legal status of individuals arrested for a crime. As a new immigrant gateway, Charlotte-Mecklenburg has received a large number of immigrants in a few decades that are largely Hispanic. Previous research suggests that like any other government program, 287(g) has several intended and unintended consequences on the community. The impacts of this program are thought to be most acutely felt by the Hispanic community. Using a mixed method analysis, this research explores whether 287(g) impacts processes of Hispanic integration in terms of three main axes: social trust, social interaction, and spatial mobility. First, using secondary data, this study quantitatively investigates changes in trust, interaction, and mobility of Hispanics after 287(g) was implemented in Mecklenburg County. Second, this study qualitatively examines the program’s impact on processes of integration using 46 in-depth interviews with a variety of service providers. The qualitative method portion focuses on the service providers because they are at the frontlines of delivering basic services to the newcomers in a new immigrant gateway, and as such, provide the infrastructure of integration processes. Respondents come from a range of backgrounds: local law enforcement, community organizations, advocacy organizations, churches, health care providers, school systems, courts, media, and members of the Hispanic student community. Triangulating these two methods and bringing together various pieces of information, this research builds a deeper understanding of the impacts of 287(g) in a new immigrant gateway. There are many personal and institutional reasons that may hinder the processes of integration of Hispanics. Furthermore, economic events such as the recent downturn can also impact the daily lives of Hispanics and their integration pathways. However, the findings of this research suggest that 287(g) plays a major role in impacting trust, interaction and mobility of Hispanics in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. The findings imply that the impacts of 287(g) cannot be clearly divided into intended and unintended consequences as previous research suggests. There are intended impacts of 287(g) that are in line with the official objective. For example, the 287(g) program has several intended consequences, such as identification and removal of undocumented criminals. However, the qualitative interviews suggest that there are underlying intentions of 287(g) that seek to target undocumented individuals regardless of the nature and severity of their crime. Similarly, the unintended consequences of the program also range from major impacts to more minor ones. Both quantitative and qualitative methods indicate that in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Hispanics’ trust in police have eroded after the implementation of the 287(g) program. The investigations on trust and interaction suggest that perception of the impact of 287(g) depends on whether the service provider is from a governmental or non-governmental organization. This is an important finding since in a new immigrant gateway such as Charlotte-Mecklenburg, as non-governmental organizations have been shown to play a pivotal role in providing an integration infrastructure to Hispanics (and other immigrants) rather than governmental organizations. Furthermore, this research indicates that the daily mobility of Hispanics, specifically driving an automobile, has been impacted by a combination of 287(g) and a change in driver’s licenses laws in North Carolina which points to the compounding role 287(g) plays in conjunction with other policies. Finally when asked directly about 287(g)’s impact on Hispanic mobility, respondents indicated that an adverse economic climate has a greater impact on the movement of Hispanics away from Charlotte-Mecklenburg. Hispanics may have migrated out in search of better opportunities elsewhere. Collectively, these findings not only point to the expected existence of intended and unintended consequences, but to an unexpected and more complex impact playing out in terms of Hispanics’ trust, interaction, and mobility as viewed through the service provider’s lens. The findings indicate that the unintended consequences of 287(g) stem from three main reasons: (1) Many individuals who are convicted of minor offenses, like traffic infractions are processed by 287(g); (2) Misinformation among both the Hispanic community and local law enforcement, and (3) 287(g) may have compounded the mistrust, unwillingness to interact, and mobility issues that may have previously existed. These findings indicate that Charlotte-Mecklenburg should explore other options to address the problem of identification. Resolving this issue may assist in the implementation of 287(g) according to its intended goal: to focus on major criminals. Additionally, this research indicates that consistent education of Hispanics about 287(g) is crucial to addressing the problem of misinformation about 287(g). Along with educating Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s Hispanics, local law enforcement authorities who are not trained by ICE on 287(g) should also be educated about the program, as they are usually the ones who make the initial arrest. The findings suggest that dealing with the issue of identification and misinformation simultaneously may begin to decrease the negative impacts of the program and increase its effectiveness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. This research uses disparate pieces of evidence to advance the discussions about the impact of local involvement in immigration enforcement policies in a new gateway city. The findings point to a need for better empirical data related to immigration enforcement policies and integration processes to be able to accurately gauge its impact on a local context. Future research can also investigate how these types of local immigration enforcement policies can potentially have a broader impact on children and immigrant families

Distributed design of product oriented manufacturing systems

Manufacturing leanness and agility are requirements of today’s manufacturing systems. Leanness call for a best fit of the manufacturing systems to products, therefore requiring product oriented manufacturing systems (POMS). Manufacturing agility can be achieved through easy systems reconfiguration to fit changing manufacturing requirements, which may mean dynamically configuring POMS. For this a suitable design system is required. Due to complexity of this design, and to the need for using suitable design methods, which may not be available locally, distributed sources of design services can be used. This paper presents and describes a prototype of a Distributed Design system for POMS based on a POMS design methodology and distributed suppliers of design services

Challenges in biotechnology of reproduction in dairy cattle: the antral follicle counting as a fertility parameter

Dairy farming plays an important role in the socioeconomic scenario, and several characteristics point to an enormous potential for growth in the productivity of the herd. This is a complex activity that needs to be carried out efficiently in all the links that integrate it. Moreover, due to the physiological and metabolic aspects of the animals with the aptitude for the milk production, several challenges arise, especially in the reproductive scope. In this context, breeding biotechniques appear as a good alternative to the increase in reproductive rates and genetic improvement of dairy cattle. In addition, ovarian antral follicle counts (AFC) have been studied as a way to improve the selection of females to compose reproductive programs, because it has been shown to be a factor of high repeatability over the reproductive life in the same animal. Although studies have shown controversial results regarding the relationship between AFC and fertility, it is still necessary to investigate the possible variables that may interfere with the performance of donors in each biotechnology used. Thus, this review intends to gather and discuss the relationship of AFC with physiological aspects of dairy cows, its application as a parameter of selection of animals with good fertility and, the challenges for the application of reproductive biotechniques in dairy cattle

The Role Of RNA Binding Proteins And CRISPR/CAS9 As A Gene Editing Tool In Drosophila Nociception

Drosophila melanogaster is a powerful model organism to study nociception. The compact and easily manipulated genome provides an opportunity to determine the function of molecules involved in basal and sensitized nociception in both larval and adult animals. Using the GAL4/UAS system, genetic knockdown with RNAi and knockout with CRISPR/Cas9 are possible to pinpoint specific molecular mechanisms and cellular processes within nociceptors that are implicated in nociception. The three main objectives of this work were to: elucidate the impact that three RNA binding proteins have on basal nociception, establish a transgenic fly line capable of inducing Cas9-mediated knockout of specific genes, and to validate a protocol based on a previously published assay to measure thermal nociception in adults. The expression of SC35, an exon-inclusion splicing factor; LaRP4B, a translation stimulator; and eIF2a, a translation regulator, were each required for thermal nociception. Cas9 expression led to sgRNA-independent effects such as severe defects in dendrite morphology. The adult thermal nociception assay was validated and similar results to the original publication were reproduced. Importantly, the findings made with the Drosophila model can be directly applicable to chronic pain in humans due to DNA sequence homology and the conserved function of proteins across species

Tin(iv) dopant removal through anti-solvent engineering enabling tin based perovskite solar cells with high charge carrier mobilities

We report the need for careful selection of anti-solvents for Sn-based perovskite solar cells fabricated through the commonly used anti-solvent method, compared to their Pb-based counterparts.</p

Bioactive compounds as potential angiotensin-converting enzyme II inhibitors against COVID-19: a scoping review

Objective and design The current study aimed to summarize the evidence of compounds contained in plant species with the ability to block the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-II), through a scoping review. Methods PubMed and Scopus electronic databases were used for the systematic search and a manual search was performed Results Studies included were characterized as in silico. Among the 200 studies retrieved, 139 studies listed after the exclusion of duplicates and 74 were included for the full read. Among them, 32 studies were considered eligible for the qualitative synthesis. The most evaluated class of secondary metabolites was flavonoids with quercetin and curcumin as most actives substances and terpenes (isothymol, limonin, curcumenol, anabsinthin, and artemisinin). Other classes that were also evaluated were alkaloid, saponin, quinone, substances found in essential oils, and primary metabolites as the aminoacid l-tyrosine and the lipidic compound 2-monolinolenin. Conclusion This review suggests the most active substance from each class of metabolites, which presented the strongest affinity to the ACE-II receptor, what contributes as a basis for choosing compounds and directing the further experimental and clinical investigation on the applications these compounds in biotechnological and health processes as in COVID-19 pandemic

Mendelian randomization study of B-type natriuretic peptide and type 2 diabetes: evidence of causal association from population studies

&lt;p&gt;Background: Genetic and epidemiological evidence suggests an inverse association between B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels in blood and risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), but the prospective association of BNP with T2D is uncertain, and it is unclear whether the association is confounded.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Methods and Findings: We analysed the association between levels of the N-terminal fragment of pro-BNP (NT-pro-BNP) in blood and risk of incident T2D in a prospective case-cohort study and genotyped the variant rs198389 within the BNP locus in three T2D case-control studies. We combined our results with existing data in a meta-analysis of 11 case-control studies. Using a Mendelian randomization approach, we compared the observed association between rs198389 and T2D to that expected from the NT-pro-BNP level to T2D association and the NT-pro-BNP difference per C allele of rs198389. In participants of our case-cohort study who were free of T2D and cardiovascular disease at baseline, we observed a 21% (95% CI 3%-36%) decreased risk of incident T2D per one standard deviation (SD) higher log-transformed NT-pro-BNP levels in analysis adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, smoking, family history of T2D, history of hypertension, and levels of triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The association between rs198389 and T2D observed in case-control studies (odds ratio = 0.94 per C allele, 95% CI 0.91-0.97) was similar to that expected (0.96, 0.93-0.98) based on the pooled estimate for the log-NT-pro-BNP level to T2D association derived from a meta-analysis of our study and published data (hazard ratio = 0.82 per SD, 0.74-0.90) and the difference in NT-pro-BNP levels (0.22 SD, 0.15-0.29) per C allele of rs198389. No significant associations were observed between the rs198389 genotype and potential confounders.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Conclusions: Our results provide evidence for a potential causal role of the BNP system in the aetiology of T2D. Further studies are needed to investigate the mechanisms underlying this association and possibilities for preventive interventions.&lt;/p&gt

Education can improve the negative perception of a threatened long-lived scavenging bird, the Andean condor

Human-wildlife conflicts currently represent one of the main conservation problems for wildlife species around the world. Vultures have serious conservation concerns, many of which are related to people's adverse perception about them due to the belief that they prey on livestock. Our aim was to assess local perception and the factors influencing people's perception of the largest scavenging bird in South America, the Andean condor. For this, we interviewed 112 people from Valle Fértil, San Juan province, a rural area of central west Argentina. Overall, people in the area mostly have an elementary education, and their most important activity is livestock rearing. The results showed that, in general, most people perceive the Andean condor as an injurious species and, in fact, some people recognize that they still kill condors. We identified two major factors that affect this perception, the education level of villagers and their relationship with livestock ranching. Our study suggests that conservation of condors and other similar scavengers depends on education programs designed to change the negative perception people have about them. Such programs should be particularly focused on ranchers since they are the ones who have the worst perception of these scavengers. We suggest that highlighting the central ecological role of scavengers and recovering their cultural value would be fundamental to reverse their persecution and their negative perception by people.Fil: Cailly Arnulphi, Verónica Beatríz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan. Centro de Investigaciones de la Geosfera y Biosfera. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones de la Geosfera y Biosfera; ArgentinaFil: Lambertucci, Sergio Agustin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; ArgentinaFil: Borghi, Carlos Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan. Centro de Investigaciones de la Geosfera y Biosfera. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones de la Geosfera y Biosfera; Argentin