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Social Equity and Body Worn Camera Policies: How Do State Politics Lead to Policy Adoption and Implementation?
Get PDFPolice body-worn cameras (BWC) emerged on state policy agendas to improve public accountability and mitigate social equity concerns in the wake of a national debate on police violence. Some, but not all, states adopted BWC, suggesting several state-level factors determined the policy making process. We develop a two-step political model of state criminal justice policy (adoption and implementation) that incorporates three distinct political actors: law enforcement groups; traditional advocates for civil rights/liberties; and new advocates for social equity/justice. We find that in the first step (policy adoption) traditional civil rights groups are not statistically related to a state adopting a BWC policy, but new groups, like those connected to BLM movement, are significantly related. However, in the second step (policy implementation) new groups are less influential, while traditional civil rights groups, and advocates for law enforcement, are. We surmise that protest and media strategies of new social equity advocates are highly effective during the salient policy adoption step, but rendered less successful during the pedestrian implementation step. We believe there are lessons for other efforts to mitigate social equity, such as the ways new advocacy groups need to master outsider strategies and insider legal and budgetary strategies appropriate for implementation
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Immune checkpoint-related serum proteins and genetic variants predict outcomes of localized prostate cancer, a cohort study
No full textBackground: The clinical predictors and biological mechanisms for localized prostate cancer (PCa) outcomes remain mostly unknown. We aim to evaluate the role of serum immune-checkpoint-related (ICK) proteins and genetic variations in predicting outcomes of localized PCa. Methods: We profiled the serum levels of 14 ICK-related proteins (BTLA, GITR, HVEM, IDO, LAG-3, PD-1, PD-L1, PD-L2, Tim-3, CD28, CD80, 4-1BB, CD27, and CTLA-4) in 190 patients with localized PCa. The genotypes of 97 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 19 ICK-related genes were analyzed in an extended population (N = 1762). Meta-data from ArrayExpress and TCGA was employed to validate and to probe functional data. Patients were enrolled and tumor aggressiveness, biochemical recurrence (BCR), and progression information were obtained. Statistical analyses were performed analyzing associations between serum biomarkers, genotypes, mRNA and outcomes. Results: We showed that serum (s)BTLA and sTIM3 levels were associated with PCa aggressiveness (P \u3c 0.05). sCD28, sCD80, sCTLA4, sGITR, sHVEM and sIDO correlated with both BCR and progression risks (all P \u3c 0.05). We further identified ICK variants were significantly associated with aggressiveness, BCR and progression. Among them, 4 SNPs located in CD80 (rs7628626, rs12695388, rs491407, rs6804441) were not only associated with BCR and progression risk, but also correlated with sCD80 level (P \u3c 0.01). rs491407 was further validated in an independent cohort. The CD80 mRNA expression was associated with BCR (HR, 1.85, 95% CI 1.06–3.22, P = 0.03) in meta-analysis of validation cohorts. Conclusion: We highlight the prognostic value of serum ICK-related proteins for predicting aggressiveness, BCR and progression of PCa. The genetic variations and mRNA expression in CD80 could be predictors and potential targets of localized PCa
Conditions for Competition: Assessing the Competitive Dynamics of US Counties
Get PDFResearch in public policy examines specific theories that drive policy adoption among jurisdictions. One of these theories, referred to in the economics literature as economic competition (or strategic competition), posits that local governments may engage in competition with one another because of the potential interjurisdictional economic spillover effects of certain fiscal policies. In this article, sales tax rates, a common, yet overlooked, policy instrument in the policy literature is examined to determine if sales tax rates drive competition among counties. Testing several hypotheses, this study finds that sales tax rate increases can exacerbate competition among counties. However, this relationship is conditional on the per capita county income; more specifically, poorer counties are more vulnerable to the effects of economic competition than wealthier counties. Furthermore, many other processes influence sales tax increases, depending on how the process is modeled. Thus, economic competition is a multidimensional process shaped by a multitude of factors
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The Prophetic Element: Writing Through The Past, The Present, And The Future By Using Radical Imagination
Get PDFIn exploring the connections between the literary arts and the history of society, Stevens Orozco points to the existence of a prophetic element within the works of writers such as James Baldwin, Toni Morrison and Octavia E. Butler. By tracing the history of society through a linear path of published and canonized works, Orozco argues that the molding of society throughout history is a result of the manipulation of identities and narratives that has established the foundation for the historically dominant culture in literature, philosophy, and government. In response to this manipulation, Orozco demonstrates how the recent works of American writers such as Baldwin, Morrison, and Butler have executed a practice of radical imagination in order to reclaim identity, narrative, and history. This practice of radical imagination produces a forward vision consciousness that addresses the status of contemporary society and future obstacles that lie ahead
Assessing Transit Accessibility in African American Communities. A Case Study of the Houston Metropolitan Area
Get PDFTransportation is the pulse that keeps today’s society moving. The movement of people, places, and things all rely on some form of transportation. There are various ways to move people; mass public transit, personal vehicles, and private transit entities are just a few ways that people move. Access to viable transportation is essential in the quality-of-life aspect of today’s society; in many cases, African American populations lack access to viable transportation. Work, school, and shopping are just a few activities that almost always require some form of transportation. Houston, Texas, is known for its diverse culture. Ordinarily, residents in the Houston region tend to inhabit together in their respective assemblage. The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Houston (METRO) and similar agencies aim to move people in the Houston region efficiently. This study will analyze transit equity between African American communities and Caucasian Communities. It is an unforgiving truth that there is an alarming number of inequities concerning transit access in America. This study intends to examine the existing transit infrastructure in the Metropolitan Area of Houston, Texas. Focusing on the concept of transit accessibility inequities for African American Communities (AACs) in the region, the study seeks to investigate various urban and suburban AACs compared to one predominantly white community to depict inequities in transit access. At its core, this study aims to provide information to render increased transit equity for the African American community. The study found that there were statistical differences in transit access between the three selected study areas. Although the major differences the study determined that the transit system was equitable as the Metropolitan transit authority of Harris County provided services based on need