Interrelationships between demographic, psychosocial, and academic characteristics and GED attainment among at-risk youth

This exploratory-descriptive research examines demographic, psychosocial, and academic characteristics of at-risk youth (N = 111) who attempted the General Educational Development (GED) Tests. Among students who passed and did not pass the GED Tests, numerous significant relationships emerged. Non-passers were more likely than passers to leave school for academic environment reasons (t = 2.21, df = 109, p \u3c .05). As compared with those who passed the GED Tests, a greater number of moderately strong interrelationships among demographic, psychosocial, and academic characteristics emerged among students who did not pass. Most notably, for non-passers, significantly strong and positive relationships emerged between academic environment reasons for leaving school and two other variables: family reasons for leaving school (r = .55, p \u3c .01) and psychosocial reasons for leaving school (r = .57, p \u3c .05). In addition, a very strong and negative interrelationship emerged among non-passers between academic environment reasons for leaving school and the poverty indicator of status (r = -.68, p \u3c .01). A multivariate perspective is critical for increasing knowledge regarding the social problem of dropout. Such knowledge is crucial for research and policy formation at the local, state, and national levels as well as for school social work practice and education

The predictive ability of demographic and psychosocial risk factors, school-related characteristics, and service interventions on grade attainment among at-risk elementary school children in a truancy intervention program

The purpose of the current exploratory-descriptive retrospective study was to examine the demographic, school-related, and psychosocial risk factors among at-risk elementary school children (N = 12644) assessed at low and high levels of risk for continuing truancy. The sample was enrolled in 16 statewide program sites of a community-based truancy prevention program in Louisiana, which provided a letter and attendance monitoring for low-risk participants and intensive case management for high-risk participants. Intercorrelations among risk factors and referred services and on-time grade attainment were assessed for a subsample of the high-risk children (n = 6088). Binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine which correlates among the demographic, school-related, and psychosocial risk factors and services best predicted on-time grade level at 3 years out among a subsample of the high-risk children (n = 2864). Model fit to the data was modest. Findings showed that race and grade at program admission were significantly associated with on-time grade attainment at 3 years out. African-American participants were less likely to be on time for grade than participants not of African-American ethnicity. Participants in kindergarten were less likely to be on time than children in higher grades of elementary school. Children assessed as unmotivated by their teachers were less likely to be on time for grade at 3 years out than children who were not assessed as unmotivated. Other findings showed that participants who completed educational services were less likely to be on time for their grade than participants who did not receive educational services. Implications for social work practice, education, and research are discussed

The Complete Calibration of the Color-Redshift Relation (C3R2) Survey: Survey Overview and Data Release 1

A key goal of the Stage IV dark energy experiments Euclid, LSST and WFIRST is to measure the growth of structure with cosmic time from weak lensing analysis over large regions of the sky. Weak lensing cosmology will be challenging: in addition to highly accurate galaxy shape measurements, statistically robust and accurate photometric redshift (photo-z) estimates for billions of faint galaxies will be needed in order to reconstruct the three-dimensional matter distribution. Here we present an overview of and initial results from the Complete Calibration of the Color-Redshift Relation (C3R2) survey, designed specifically to calibrate the empirical galaxy color-redshift relation to the Euclid depth. These redshifts will also be important for the calibrations of LSST and WFIRST. The C3R2 survey is obtaining multiplexed observations with Keck (DEIMOS, LRIS, and MOSFIRE), the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC; OSIRIS), and the Very Large Telescope (VLT; FORS2 and KMOS) of a targeted sample of galaxies most important for the redshift calibration. We focus spectroscopic efforts on under-sampled regions of galaxy color space identified in previous work in order to minimize the number of spectroscopic redshifts needed to map the color-redshift relation to the required accuracy. Here we present the C3R2 survey strategy and initial results, including the 1283 high confidence redshifts obtained in the 2016A semester and released as Data Release 1.Comment: Accepted to ApJ. 11 pages, 5 figures. Redshifts can be found at http://c3r2.ipac.caltech.edu/c3r2_DR1_mrt.tx

Baton Rouge Collective Healing Initiative: Final Report

In response to recent and historic traumatic events that caused distrust and strained relationships between law enforcement and their communities, the U. S. Department of Justice, Office of Victims of Crime (OVC), selected five demonstration sites to invest in restorative and healing activities to repair community-police relationships. The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) worked closely with the sites over the three-year grant period to improve relations through evidence-based interventions, technical assistance, and peer learning. The program, Law Enforcement and the Communities They Serve: Supporting Collective Healing in the Wake of Harm began in the selected cities, which included 1) Baton Rouge, Louisiana; 2) Houston, Texas; 3) Minneapolis, Minnesota; 4) Oakland, California; and 5) Rapid City, South Dakota. The purpose of Collective Healing was to foster meaningful dialogue and reconciliation among law enforcement agencies and the communities of color they serve, to increase the capacity of victim services programs, and to address officer health and wellness. Collective Healing programs were led by police departments and supported by victim assistance programs, behavioral health agencies, grassroots organizations, and academic partners. IACP provided technical assistance and training and conducted site visits to monitor accountability and effectiveness. The Baton Rouge Collective Healing Initiative was conducted from October 1, 2017, through September 30, 2020. The Baton Rouge Police Department (BRPD) served as the lead and fiscal agent for the project. BRPD hired a program manager to coordinate the partnership and complete grant activities. The original core members of the Baton Rouge Collective Healing Initiative included community partners who were vested in improving community-police relationships. The core partners included 100 Black Men of Metro Baton Rouge, the Baton Rouge Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Capital Area Human Services, LSU Social Research and Evaluation Center, and the Southern University, Center for Social Research

Louisiana-Recognized Native American Tribal Needs Assessment: Understanding the Perceptions, Resources, and Challenges Involving Opioid Use Disorder

Executive Summary The Social Research and Evaluation Center (SREC) at the Louisiana State University, College of Human Sciences and Education engaged Louisiana-recognized tribes to investigate their perceptions, resources, and challenges around the Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) crisis in their communities. The outreach and investigative process resulted in attending tribal council meetings, conducting key stakeholder interviews, and administering tribal listening sessions. The discussions and listening sessions facilitated open dialogue about the nature of OUD, prevention, treatment, and recovery as well as identification of strengths and challenges experienced by tribal communities. Tribal citizens reported limited knowledge about help for those experiencing addiction. Knowledge of resources was limited, and misinformation was also revealed. Tribal citizens reported little to no cultural practices that could assist those dealing with addiction. Tribal citizens listed an array of root causes contributing to addiction in their communities including historical and generational trauma. The interactions for this project with Native American citizens opened new channels of communication and established rapport among tribal citizens and the SREC research team to better understand the impact of OUD and identify appropriate solution

Doxycycline-regulated gene expression in the opportunistic fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus

BACKGROUND: Although Aspergillus fumigatus is an important human fungal pathogen there are few expression systems available to study the contribution of specific genes to the growth and virulence of this opportunistic mould. Regulatable promoter systems based upon prokaryotic regulatory elements in the E. coli tetracycline-resistance operon have been successfully used to manipulate gene expression in several organisms, including mice, flies, plants, and yeast. However, the system has not yet been adapted for Aspergillus spp. RESULTS: Here we describe the construction of plasmid vectors that can be used to regulate gene expression in A. fumigatus using a simple co-transfection approach. Vectors were generated in which the tetracycline transactivator (tTA) or the reverse tetracycline transactivator (rtTA2(s)-M2) are controlled by the A. nidulans gpdA promoter. Dominant selectable cassettes were introduced into each plasmid, allowing for selection following gene transfer into A. fumigatus by incorporating phleomycin or hygromycin into the medium. To model an essential gene under tetracycline regulation, the E. coli hygromycin resistance gene, hph, was placed under the control of seven copies of the TetR binding site (tetO(7)) in a plasmid vector and co-transfected into A. fumigatus protoplasts together with one of the two transactivator plasmids. Since the hph gene is essential to A. fumigatus in the presence of hygromycin, resistance to hygromycin was used as a marker of hph reporter gene expression. Transformants were identified in which the expression of tTA conferred hygromycin resistance by activating expression of the tetO(7)-hph reporter gene, and the addition of doxycycline to the medium suppressed hygromycin resistance in a dose-dependent manner. Similarly, transformants were identified in which expression of rtTA2(s)-M2 conferred hygromycin resistance only in the presence of doxycycline. The levels of doxycycline required to regulate expression of the tetO(7)-hph reporter gene were within non-toxic ranges for this organism, and low-iron medium was shown to reduce the amount of doxycycline required to accomplish regulation. CONCLUSIONS: The vectors described in this report provide a new set of options to experimentally manipulate the level of specific gene products in A. fumigatu

The Criminal Justice Response to the Opioid Crisis in East Baton Rouge Parish

This report describes: 1) the history and current state of the opioid crisis in East Baton Rouge Parish; 2) the current and planned efforts of the Innovative Prosecution Solutions for Combating Violent Crime and Illegal Opioids (IPS) grant to respond to the crisis; and 3) recommendations for criminal justice practitioners regarding the opioid crisis in our community. The goal of the IPS grant is to reduce opioid-related deaths by fostering interagency collaboration to disrupt local opioid supply chains, educate the community about the dangers of opioid abuse and addiction, and provide support for individuals with opioid use disorder. The rising prevalence of opioid-related overdose deaths and violence is a significant issue in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. From 2014 to 2018, opioid poisoning-related emergency department visits increased by approximately 45%. During this five-year period, heroin poisoning-related emergency department visits increased by approximately 30% and non-heroin opioid poisoning-related emergency department visits increased by approximately 59%. From 2018 to 2019, opioid overdose deaths in East Baton Rouge Parish increased by approximately 29%. Opioid overdose deaths have consistently accounted for nearly all overdose deaths in East Baton Rouge Parish during this timeframe. Early attempts to address the opioid crisis were challenging due to a lack of trust and cooperation among governmental agencies and community members most affected by the opioid epidemic. Criminal justice practitioners (e.g., law enforcement, correctional officials, defense attorneys, prosecutors, court officials) have an important role in reducing opioid-related addiction, opioid-related overdose deaths, and opioid-related violence within East Baton Rouge Parish communities. Individuals with substance use disorder are often fearful of interacting with law enforcement due to the belief that they will be arrested for their addiction, decreasing the likelihood that these individuals will reach out for critical treatment. Therefore, public health officials are often reluctant to include criminal justice practitioners in opioid use disorder-related efforts, despite their ability to engage in meaningful, productive partnerships. For these perceptions to change, criminal justice practitioners must demonstrate a commitment to addiction and overdose prevention by forming vital partnerships and supporting their partners\u27 prevention efforts to address this epidemic. By engaging in meaningful community partnerships, criminal justice practitioners can implement and support efforts to improve the lives of individuals with opioid use disorder and reduce opioid overdose deaths. The recommendations were informed by empirical research related to criminal justice and public health interventions concerning opioid use disorder

What is Working to Reduce Violent Crime? Evidence-Based Solutions

The purpose of this review is to examine and evaluate current approaches to reducing violent crime. The review reports on supportive techniques, strategies, programs, and practices that are evidence-informed to combat criminal activity, delinquency, and community disorder. Ineffective techniques, strategies, and programs are also included. The review provides potential strategies and programs that require additional empirical research to show whether they work. This review includes the integration of education, employment, social services, and public health services into efforts to reduce crime and ease the burden on law enforcement and justice systems. Recommendations for reducing violent crime are included

Louisiana Children\u27s Trust Fund Annual Report 2021-2022

Child abuse and neglect is a leading factor in the staggeringly high rates of child mortality in Louisiana. In 2017, Louisiana had 44,793 total referrals for child abuse and neglect of which 19,851 were investigated (CWLA, 2019). Child abuse and neglect can have multiple detrimental effects on a child’s physical, psychological, and behavioral health. Effective prevention efforts are critical to ensuring the immediate and long-term safety and well-being of children in Louisiana. Each year, LCTF selects high-quality proposals and funds a range of prevention efforts to protect children, strengthen family well-being, and educate the public about children’s safety. Local, national, and global events have greatly impacted our communities since 2020. These events included various social, economic, political, and medical crises. Events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, led to political, social unrest and the resulting business closures have caused a great deal of instability in communities around the state. It has taken a toll on individuals’ mental health and well-being. The Child Welfare Information Gateway (2022) says that family wellbeing is an important factor in reducing the likelihood of child abuse and neglect. These events do not impact everyone equally. However, difficult times for some can be felt more severely by other, even more so for the most marginalized populations in our community. Understanding the broader context of how policies and events have impacted our communities is important. These events have caused many to examine bias, resources available for families at risk, and how communities and individuals are making decisions for their children. It has also identified barriers that prevent some children and families from seeking the opportunities and accessing the resources they need to thrive