Race and selective enforcement in public housing

Drugs, crime and public housing are closely linked in policy and politics, and their nexus has animated several intensive drug enforcement programs targeted at public housing residents. In New York City, police systematically conduct "vertical" patrols in public, making tens of thousands of "Terry" stops to detect drugs or weapons each year under the Trespass Abatement Program, or TAP. Both uniformed and undercover officers move systemically within the halls and stairwells of buildings, temporarily detaining and questioning residents and visitors, often at a low threshold of suspicion, and usually alleging trespass to justify the stop. This pattern of selective enforcement through elevated rates of high discretion stops in public housing under TAP raises constitutional concerns at the intersection of the Fourteenth Amendment prohibitions on racial discrimination -- residents of public housing are overwhelming nonwhite -- and Fourth Amendment prohibitions on suspicionless stops. We use a case-control design to identify the effects of living in a public housing development on the probability of stop, frisk and arrest for trespass or other crimes in New York City's 330 public housing developments from 2005-8. We find that the incidence rate ratio for trespass stops and arrests is 1.5 times greater in public housing than in the immediate surrounding neighborhoods. We decompose these effects using first differences models and find that the difference in percent Black population in public housing compared to the surrounding area predicts the disparity in trespass enforcement. Four-wave cross-lag regressions show that trespass enforcement in public housing is independent from enforcement in the surrounding area, suggesting that public housing is specifically targeted for intensive enforcement. The results raise constitutional concerns about equal protection. Qualitative evidence suggests that stops have a stigmatizing effect on public housing residents and their families, and that they inhibit basic social interactions such as child care arrangements and family visitation

Ethics and spirituality in the workplace: the growing role of the business case in reforms

This paper amalgamates three inter-related presentations at the conference entitled “Diversity: a Practitioner’s Journey”. Papers addressed issues of employee well-being in the context of political and ethical concerns in the workplace and society at large. Dr Tim Freeman, who chaired the session, has edited a summary of these papers informed by his own research into leadership and the workplace. We start with spirituality and religion in the workplace (Dr Aylin Kunter), followed by workplace diversity (Dr Carlis Douglas) and finally, the ethics of employment deregulation (Dr Ian Roper). We all have a desire to understand how we can make the workplace better for those who engage with – and rely on – it for their livelihoods and, increasingly, as a source of identity

Evaluating Which Classroom and Student Variables in an Early Childhood Program Best Predict Student Language and Literacy Achievement

Sufficient evidence exists that early intervention for students at-risk of school failure may prevent reading difficulties. In addition, research has identified several teacher, classroom, and student variables that correlate with students' academic progress in language and literacy domains. This research aimed to expand on existing research by analyzing the relationships between teacher and peer characteristics and language and literacy achievement, and change in achievement, for 431 three and four-year old children attending three Early Reading First funded public charter school programs in 29 Washington, DC classrooms. Four research questions were posed to answer the following: What are the peer and teacher variables that predict achievement, or change in achievement, on norm- or criterion-referenced language and literacy measures for children enrolled in a federally supported universal preschool program? Two-level hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was conducted with students nested in classrooms. Results from the HLM indicate that peer and teacher characteristics helped predict three and four-year olds' achievement on nationally normed standardized language and literacy assessments. Peer and teacher characteristics also predicted achievement and change in achievement on curriculum-based measures of language and literacy development. These findings expand the research on teacher and peer characteristics predictive of student language and literacy achievement. Implications from these findings, strengths and limitations of this dissertation research, and future research directions are discussed

DOUBLE AUDIO STEGANOGRAPHY USING SPREAD SPECTRUM WITH DES CRYPTOGRAPHY

These days, communication technology is becoming more advanced. Network security is the most important issue in any communication. Hence, comes a method of securing data known as audio steganography. There are also many algorithms developed for it. Meanwhile, This thesis discusses the implementation of Double Audio steganography using Spread Spectrum method with Data Encryption Stan-dard (DES) cryptography. Spread Spectrum method is used to send a hidden mes-sage through radio waves and modulate the hidden messages with a pseudo-random signal. DES cryptography method is used to randomizing the messages for protect-ing the file that wanted to be sent to one receiver. The WAV file is used as an audio file. This thesis discusses the implementation of the method in audio data to hide text message. The embedding processes are carried out twice according to the title is double audio steganography. Combining the Double Audio Steganography using Spread Spectrum (SS) technique with the Data Encryption Standard (DES) method provides a good level of security without being detected and unattached the audio quality. Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) is used to attack the audio. The imperceptibility, security, and accuracy of the proposed system have been evaluated using Signal to Noise Ratio and Bit Error Rate. The expected SNR is higher than 30 dB. From the results obtained, this system has a pretty good performance seen from the value Stego audio SNR that is worth 64.27 to 86.08 dB. However, the system has endurance which is low against AWGN

Virtual Reality in Practice: Exploring Programs and Outreach

Virtual reality provides opportunities for experiential learning and facilitating connections between people, places, and technology. Hear about Dakota County Library’s journey from proposal to program as we explored virtual reality in the library. Discuss a variety of considerations in model types, maintenance, and sharing logistics; then learn about different practical uses for VR in programs and outreach. Try some different VR experiences yourself; from interactive puzzle games and building a VR world, to photography and library tours

Renal function at two years in liver transplant patients receiving everolimus: results of a randomized, multicenter study

Abstract In a 24-month prospective, randomized, multicenter, open-label study, de novo liver transplant patients were randomized at 30 days to everolimus (EVR) + Reduced tacrolimus (TAC; n = 245), TAC Control (n = 243) or TAC Elimination (n = 231). Randomization to TAC Elimination was stopped prematurely due to a significantly higher rate of treated biopsy-proven acute rejection (tBPAR). The incidence of the primary efficacy endpoint, composite efficacy failure rate of tBPAR, graft loss or death postrandomization was similar with EVR + Reduced TAC (10.3%) or TAC Control (12.5%) at month 24 (difference -2.2%, 97.5% confidence interval [CI] -8.8%, 4.4%). BPAR was less frequent in the EVR + Reduced TAC group (6.1% vs. 13.3% in TAC Control, p = 0.010). Adjusted change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) from randomization to month 24 was superior with EVR + Reduced TAC versus TAC Control: difference 6.7 mL/min/1.73 m(2) (97.5% CI 1.9, 11.4 mL/min/1.73 m(2), p = 0.002). Among patients who remained on treatment, mean (SD) eGFR at month 24 was 77.6 (26.5) mL/min/1.73 m(2) in the EVR + Reduced TAC group and 66.1 (19.3) mL/min/1.73 m(2) in the TAC Control group (p < 0.001). Study medication was discontinued due to adverse events in 28.6% of EVR + Reduced TAC and 18.2% of TAC Control patients. Early introduction of everolimus with reduced-exposure tacrolimus at 1 month after liver transplantation provided a significant and clinically relevant benefit for renal function at 2 years posttransplant

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on liver donation and transplantation: A review of the literature

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has upended healthcare systems worldwide and led to an inevitable decrease in liver transplantation (LT) activity. During the first pandemic wave, administrators and clinicians were obliged to make the difficult decision of whether to suspend or continue a lifesaving procedure based on the scarce available evidence regarding the risk of transmission and mortality in immunosuppressed patients. Those centers where the activity continued or was heavily restricted were obliged to screen donors and recipients, design COVID-safe clinical pathways, and promote telehealth to prevent nosocomial transmission. Despite the ever-growing literature on COVID-19, the amount of high-quality literature on LT remains limited. This review will provide an updated view of the impact of the pandemic on LT programs worldwide. Donor and recipient screening, strategies for waitlist prioritization, and posttransplant risk of infection and mortality are discussed. Moreover, a particular focus is given to the possibility of donor-to-recipient transmission and immunosuppression management in COVID-positive recipients