Disproportionate Disenfranchisement in the United States: Race and Felon Disenfranchisement from the Jim Crow Era to the Era of Black Lives Matter

The purpose of this study is to re-examine the policy of felon disenfranchisement through analysis of its historical lineage from the Jim Crow Era to the contemporary era of Black Lives Matter. Review of previous research indicates a race bias in its early implementation meant to prevent Blacks from exercising the right to vote both before and after the Fifteenth Amendment in 1780. Disenfranchisement is understood to prevent the exercise of full United States citizenship for felons and ex-felons who are disproportionately Black. Through a constructivist research paradigm, this critical interpretivist study will seek to further understand the socially constructed environments associated with the development of felon disenfranchisement to better understand the policy as it applies today. Primary and secondary sources that address the social attitudes surrounding race and felon disenfranchisement will be interpreted through the lens of critical race theory. This provides a new interpretation of historical race relations in the United States and of the racially disproportionate disenfranchisement of current Black United States Citizens. I expect this research will conclude a connection between the social construction of attitudes towards race relations in the United States and the use of felon disenfranchisement to disenfranchise Blacks throughout its historical lineage. This research attempts to use this information to better understand the continuation and causation of contemporary race relations and the policy of felon disenfranchisement

Living Dead in the United States: Felon Disenfranchisement and White Privilege

The purpose of this study is to re-examine the policy of felon disenfranchisement through an analysis of its historical lineage from the Jim Crow Era to the contemporary era of Black Lives Matter and identify the influence of White Privilege in its development. The disenfranchised population in the United States is disproportionately Black. This research attempts to better understand the role of White Privilege in the policy of felon disenfranchisement. Review of previous research indicates a racial bias in the early implementation of felon disenfranchisement intended to prevent Blacks from exercising the right to vote as well as racial motivations behind the use of the policy until present day. Disenfranchisement prevents the exercise of full citizenship for felon and ex-felons in the United States. Through a constructivist research paradigm, this critical interpretivist study will seek to further identify the socially constructed context surrounding the historic lineage of felon disenfranchisement to better understand the policy as it functions today. Primary and secondary sources that address the social attitudes surrounding race and felon disenfranchisement will be interpreted through the lens of critical race theory to identify White Privilege in the development of felon disenfranchisement. This study provides a new interpretation of historical race relations in the United States and of the racially disproportionate disenfranchisement of Black United States citizens. This research concludes a connection between racial bias and the use of felon disenfranchisement to exclude Blacks throughout the historical lineage of felon disenfranchisement and role of White Privilege in the policy of felon disenfranchisement and how the inaction of White people allows for the perpetuation of policies with racially biased outcomes

21st-Century Skillset Perceptions of Students in an Information Technology Career Academy Compared to those at a Comprehensive School

In this study, we compared the perspectives of students’ 21st-Century competencies (critical thinking and communication, applied learning, and intrapersonal and interpersonal skills) based on participating in an urban magnet information technology (IT) career academy compared to a traditional, comprehensive high school. We utilized propensity score matching to match academy and comprehensive high school learners on various demographic variables. The propensity score matching resulted in 299 matched pairs (n = 598). Using the matched groups, we ran linear regression models to investigate the relationship between school participation and students’ perceptions of their 21st-Century skill attainment. We found that when compared with their comprehensive school peers, academy students believed their schools significantly contributed more to their abilities to apply knowledge from their coursework to a real-world context. We found no significant differences in critical thinking and communication skills as well as intrapersonal and interpersonal skills. Our findings indicate that the nature of the curriculum and instructional strategies within a career academy are beneficial. These strategies include the use of curriculum integration, work-based learning, and project-based learning to increase the meaningfulness and relevancy of content

Vulnerabilidad profunda”: identificación de las dimensiones estructurales de la vulnerabilidad climática a través de la investigación cualitativa en Argentina, Canadá y Colombia

Los acontecimientos climáticos extremos se están haciendo cada vez más frecuentes y severos debido al cambio climático. La vulnerabilidad a las condiciones extremas es el resultado de tres componentes: exposición a los peligros, sensibilidad del sistema y capacidad para adaptarse. Un estudio cualitativo a gran escala de la vulnerabilidad rural a las condiciones climáticas extremas en Argentina, Canadá y Colombia demuestra las causas político-económicas de fondo de la vulnerabilidad en cada contexto. Las causas estructurales son difíciles de identificar usando índices cuantitativos y métricas deductivas solas, pero los enfoques cualitativos pueden ayudar a identificar elementos clave que generan vulnerabilidad a un nivel más profundo. La tecnología y la diversificación son insuficientes para abordar esa vulnerabilidad estructural o “profunda”.Extreme climate events are becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change. Vulnerability to extremes is the result of three components: exposure to hazards, sensitivity of the system, and capacity to adapt. A large-scale qualitative study of rural vulnerability to climate extremes in Argentina, Canada, and Colombia demonstrates the political-economic root causes of vulnerability in each context. Structural causes are difficult to identify using quantitative indices and deductive metrics alone, but qualitative approaches can help identify key drivers of vulnerability at a deeper level. Technology and diversification are insufficient to address such structural or “deep” vulnerability.Fil: Fletcher, Amber J.. University Of Regina; CanadáFil: Mussetta, Paula Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Ciencias Humanas, Sociales y Ambientales; ArgentinaFil: Turbay, Sandra. Universidad de Antioquia; ColombiaFil: Acevedo Mejía, Erika Cristina. Universidad de Antioquia; Colombi

Aging, care and dependency in multimorbidity: how relationships affect elderly women’s homecare and health service use

Relationships are multidimensional, and we know little about the facets of relationships in the way elderly patients’ with multimorbidity utilise homecare and health services. Gerontology literatures emphasize the importance of place of care, inequalities, availability of health services and affordability. However, the diversity of relationships and associated dependency in elderly care remain underassessed. A qualitative study involving a demographic survey and interviews was conducted to explore relationship experiences of elderly women with multimorbidity in homecare and health services utilization. Civil Surgeon of Sylhet District in Bangladesh was contacted to recruit participants for the study, and this resulted in 33 interviews [11 staff and 22 elderly women with multimorbidity]. Three domains of Axel Honneth’s Theory of Recognition and Misrecognition [i.e. intimate, community and legal relationships] were used to underpin the study findings. Data was analysed using critical thematic discourse method. Four themes were emerged: nature of caregiving involved; intimate affairs [marital marginalization, and parent-children-in law dynamics]; alienation in peer-relationships and neighbourhood [siblings’ overlook, neighbourhood challenges, and gender inequality in interactions]; and legal connections [ignorance of rights, and missed communication]. A marginalization in family relationships, together with poor peer supports and a misrecognition from service providers, resulted in a lack of care for elderly women with multimorbidity. Understanding the complexities of elderly women’s relationships may assist in policy making with better attention to their health and well-being support needs. Staff training on building relationships, and counselling services for family and relatives are essential to improve the quality of care for the women. &nbsp

Women and Climate Change Impacts and Action in Canada: Feminist, Indigenous and Intersectional Perspectives

The report was produced through a collaboration of the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women and the Alliance for Intergenerational Resilience, with funding from Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces to Climate Change (ACW) and its predecessor project, Work in a Warming World (W3). The researchers found that women face a double threat from social-economic barriers that leave them bearing the brunt of climate change impacts, while being denied a role in developing policies and programs to mitigate climate change - the example given is employment in renewable energy, where women are underrepresented globally. The report points out that the need for women to be acknowledged as agents of change.Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces to Respond to Climate Chang

Mortality and length of stay of very low birth weight and very preterm infants: a EuroHOPE study

The objective of this paper was to compare health outcomes and hospital care use of very low birth weight (VLBW), and very preterm (VLGA) infants in seven European countries. Analysis was performed on linkable patient-level registry data from seven European countries between 2006 and 2008 (Finland, Hungary, Italy (the Province of Rome), the Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, and Sweden). Mortality and length of stay (LoS) were adjusted for differences in gestational age (GA), sex, intrauterine growth, Apgar score at five minutes, parity and multiple births. The analysis included 16,087 infants. Both the 30-day and one-year adjusted mortality rates were lowest in the Nordic countries (Finland, Sweden and Norway) and Scotland and highest in Hungary and the Netherlands. For survivors, the adjusted average LoS during the first year of life ranged from 56 days in the Netherlands and Scotland to 81 days in Hungary. There were large differences between European countries in mortality rates and LoS in VLBW and VLGA infants. Substantial data linkage problems were observed in most countries due to inadequate identification procedures at birth, which limit data validity and should be addressed by policy makers across Europe

Identification of the Benzyloxyphenyl Pharmacophore: A Structural Unit That Promotes Sodium Channel Slow Inactivation

Four compounds that contained the N-benzyl 2-amino-3-methoxypropionamide unit were evaluated for their ability to modulate Na+ currents in catecholamine A differentiated CAD neuronal cells. The compounds differed by the absence or presence of either a terminal N-acetyl group or a (3-fluoro)benzyloxy moiety positioned at the 4′-benzylamide site. Analysis of whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology data showed that the incorporation of the (3-fluoro)benzyloxy unit, to give the (3-fluoro)benzyloxyphenyl pharmacophore, dramatically enhanced the magnitude of Na+ channel slow inactivation. In addition, N-acetylation markedly increased the stereoselectivity for Na+ channel slow inactivation. Furthermore, we observed that Na+ channel frequency (use)-dependent block was maintained upon inclusion of this pharmacophore. Confirmation of the importance of the (3-fluoro)benzyloxyphenyl pharmacophore was shown by examining compounds where the N-benzyl 2-amino-3-methoxypropionamide unit was replaced by a N-benzyl 2-amino-3-methylpropionamide moiety, as well as examining a series of compounds that did not contain an amino acid group but retained the pharmacophore unit. Collectively, the data indicated that the (3-fluoro)benzyloxyphenyl unit is a novel pharmacophore for the modulation of Na+ currents

A SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in a plastics manufacturing plant.

BACKGROUND: A SARS-CoV-2 outbreak with an attack rate of 14.3% was reported at a plastics manufacturing plant in England. METHODS: Between 23rd March and 13th May 2021, the COVID-OUT team undertook a comprehensive outbreak investigation, including environmental assessment, surface sampling, molecular and serological testing, and detailed questionnaires, to identify potential SARS-CoV-2 transmission routes, and workplace- and worker-related risk factors. RESULTS: While ventilation, indicated using real-time CO2 proxy measures, was generally adequate on-site, the technical office with the highest localized attack rate (21.4%) frequently reached peaks in CO2 of 2100ppm. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was found in low levels (Ct ≥35) in surface samples collected across the site. High noise levels (79dB) were recorded in the main production area, and study participants reported having close work contacts (73.1%) and sharing tools (75.5%). Only 20.0% of participants reported using a surgical mask and/or FFP2/FFP3 respirator at least half the time and 71.0% expressed concerns regarding potential pay decreases and/or unemployment due to self-isolation or workplace closure. CONCLUSIONS: The findings reinforce the importance of enhanced infection control measures in manufacturing sectors, including improved ventilation with possible consideration of CO2 monitoring, utilising air cleaning interventions in enclosed environments, and provision of good-quality face masks (i.e., surgical masks or FFP2/FFP3 respirators) especially when social distancing cannot be maintained. Further research on the impacts of job security-related concerns is warranted