At the Nexus of Neoliberalism, Mass Incarceration, and Scientific Racism: the Conflation of Blackness with Risk in the 21st century

This paper examines how the systems of power of neoliberalism, scientific racism, and mass incarceration intersect to construct and uphold the image of “black criminality” and “blackness as a risk” to society. Risk assessments used to determine prison sentencing exemplify this phenomenon. Histories of deliberate associations between blackness and criminality--through science, media, political rhetoric, and economic systems--create a field in which risk assessment is widely regarded as a useful and scientifically neutral tool in mass incarceration. Particular scientific, economic, and carceral circumstances culminating in the 21st century collude to elevate risk assessments into one aspect of a big data apparatus endowed with the capacity to predict and control future behaviors. The paper suggests future directions for scientific research to promote racial justice in the context of mass incarceration

Zola Budd and the Political Pawn

The attitude toward athletes engaging in political speech has varied over time, with activism often discouraged, but encouraged on rare occasions. The paper seeks to reconcile the two conflicting positions through proposing a more nuanced way to think about the relationship between athletes and political activism. Specifically, I argue that political speech, while obviously appropriate outside the field of play, has no place within the sporting arena. The paper begins with descriptions of the Colin Kaepernick case and the Zola Budd case. The main substance of the paper comes in laying out the position that athletes should not be activists, acknowledging a challenge to that position, and incorporating the notion of sacred space to establish the final conclusion

Tracking the Source of Helicobacter pylori in Watersheds of San Juan, Puerto Rico

Helicobacter pylori is a pathogenic bacterium that infects more than half of the world’s population. The large number of H. pylori infections in Puerto Rico could be related to the waterborne transmission of the pathogen. While the San Juan Bay Estuary (SJBE) system is home to over three million people, water quality studies in this area of Puerto Rico are lacking. The goal of this study is to determine seasonal and yearly (2020-2021) shifts and relationships between the presence of H. pylori and host-specific (human and dog) Bacteroides in streams that flow through the northern coastal zone of Puerto Rico and streams that drain into the SBJE waters using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) methods and microbial source tracking (MST) techniques. The 16s rRNA gene fragment of H. pylori was detected in twenty-nine (16.86%) of the 172 water samples collected over the two-year period with higher detection rates in the wet seasons (17.65%) than the dry seasons (16.09%). Microbial source tracking of human- and dog-specific Bacteroides in H. pylori positive samples over the two-year period resulted in equal detection rates (51.72%) of both host sources. Human- and dog-specific Bacteroides were detected in eighty-three (48.26%) and seventy-six (44.19%) of the 172 samples collected, respectively. A total of eleven samples were positive for all three markers (H. pylori, human, dog). Five of these samples were collected during the 2020 sampling event from two sample sites at subbasin Juan Méndez and one sample site from the Blasina, Rio Piedras Norte, and Dona Ana subbasins. The remaining six samples were collected during the 2021 sampling event from two sample sites located at the Dona Ana subbasin, and one sample site from subbasins Juan Méndez, Río Herrera, Blasina, and Río Canovanillas

Manhattan by midnight : a suite for jazz orchestra in three movements

textManhattan by Midnight is a three-movement work for jazz orchestra scored for woodwinds, brass and jazz rhythm section. The intent is to compose a work that reflects and emphasizes two musical elements that set jazz apart from every other genre: the swung eighth note and its distinctive, idiomatic use of extended diatonic and chromatic harmony. Combining these two musical elements with my own ever-evolving composition style will culminate in a work that explores and expands upon the typical conventions of jazz melody, jazz harmony and jazz rhythm to create a piece that is a sum of my influences as well as my experiences. The title Manhattan by Midnight refers to the night I moved into my current residence, which is in a neighborhood called Washington Heights in the northern part of Manhattan in New York City. The drive in and the frantic attempt to move all of my belongings into my apartment, as well as the multitude of emotions a jazz musician experiences when making the move to the jazz capital of the world provided more than enough inspiration for an extended composition. The following analysis of this suite provides an overview of how Manhattan by Midnight works in a technical sense with special attention given to form, harmony, melodic content and orchestration.Musi

Comparison of responses to weight training in prepubescent and adult males

The effect of overload training on adults has been considered for thousands of years. Centuries before Christ, Milo of Crotona carried a calf on his back daily until the animal was full-grown, resulting in one of the earliest accounts of the overload principle (Bergan & Scoles, 1979). Results of overload training on adults have been well documented (Tanner, 1952; Hellebrandt & Houtz, 1958; Berger,1962a; 1962b; Rasch & Pierson, 1963; Berger & Hardage, 1967; Stull & Clark, 1970; Leighton, Holmes, Benson, Wooten & Schmerer, 1967; Wilmore, 1975; Gettman, Ward & Hager, 1982). However, how overload affects children and adolescents is barely touched upon in the literature. The concept of an overload training threshold age or point of threshold maturity is virtually a matter of speculation. There is general agreement that there are certain indicators which are at least moderately related to strength, including maturity and structural measures (Jones, 1946; Wickens, 1958; Hunsicker & Greey, 1957; Clarke & Petersen, 1961; Clarke & Harrison, 1962; Rarick & Oyster, 1964). Although not logically developed by exercise these traits should be considered when judging the· physical potential of boys and girls. On the contrary, muscular strength is a developmental trait which can be improved through the right kind and amount of exercise (President\u27s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, 1974). The value of overload training in both a rehabilitative and developmental sense has been noted for teenage boys (Gallagher, Andover & Delorme, 1949; Fisher, 1966). Unfortunately, it was not documented whether any or all of these boys had reached puberty. Since puberty has generally been considered to be·that point at which strength gains are enhanced (Jones, 1946; Miller & Keane, 1978; Wilmore, 1982), the question arises as to the worth of earlier weight training. It has been noted that strength training for prepubescent children in the hope of increasing size and/or the strength of their muscle is probably of little benefit, since there is no predictable response (Round Table Discussion, 1977). However, when reviewing the literature one finds that this allegation.is one that has not been clearly investigated