Equity and access of a civilian-based crisis response model.

Criticisms of police use of force policies and the over policing of communities of color have generated calls to reallocate part of the funding that routinely goes to police departments to fund more social welfare programs. In particular, analysts and policy makers have supported the implementation of alternative crisis response programs, such as the use of unarmed behavioral health workers, to reduce police contact and improve mental health service provision to citizens. The present study examined the extent to which one such civilian-based 911 diversion program in St. Petersburg, Florida, called the Community Assistance and Life Liaison program, provides equitable access to communities in need. Through analysis of contact data (N = 6,653 contacts with residents) and zip code-level Census data of community characteristics, we found that the program diverted 37% of the noncrime crisis calls coming through the emergency communication line. The program additionally engaged in a substantial number of proactive and follow-up contacts, responded to a diverse group of individuals, and disproportionately served communities showing higher drivers of inequity. At the same time, notable disparities were found in that fewer follow-up services and nonlive referrals (e.g., officer or proactive contacts) were provided by Community Assistance and Life Liaison program to communities with higher poverty rates, Black youth were less likely to be diverted from police contact, and communities with more Black and non-U.S. citizen residents were less likely to receive live dispatch contacts from the program. Implications and recommendations for reducing over policing and health disparities are provided. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Positive Youth Development Approach to School Safety: A Comprehensive Conceptual Framework.

BACKGROUND: Youth violence, victimization, and bullying are pervasive in schools across the United States and are detrimental for learning and healthy development. K-12 school safety is an increasingly urgent issue to research and understand from multiple perspectives. Physical and psychological safety in school is linked to better student and school outcomes and is fundamental to fostering well-being and prosocial behavior. METHODS: Despite research demonstrating positive outcomes associated with school safety, there is no comprehensive conceptual model in the literature that considers precursors, strategies, mechanisms, and outcomes of school safety together. The current paper presents an equity-centered comprehensive model of school safety, which is intended as a holistic representation of the multiple factors and pathways that contribute to school safety and positive youth development. RESULTS: This model can guide research and practice through an equity-centered and comprehensive approach. This model can enable practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to make informed decisions and reach consensus regarding planning and decisions related to reducing violence and establishing supportive school environments. CONCLUSION: Our model suggests that a comprehensive approach can ensure the safety and well-being of students and staff. By thinking ecologically, schools, communities, and stakeholders can ensure that all aspects of the school context are included in school safety.

CLCC1 promotes hepatic neutral lipid flux and nuclear pore complex assembly.

Imbalances in lipid storage and secretion lead to the accumulation of hepatocyte lipid droplets (LDs) (i.e., hepatic steatosis). Our understanding of the mechanisms that govern the channeling of hepatocyte neutral lipids towards cytosolic LDs or secreted lipoproteins remains incomplete. Here, we performed a series of CRISPR-Cas9 screens under different metabolic states to uncover mechanisms of hepatic neutral lipid flux. Clustering of chemical-genetic interactions identified CLIC-like chloride channel 1 (CLCC1) as a critical regulator of neutral lipid storage and secretion. Loss of CLCC1 resulted in the buildup of large LDs in hepatoma cells and knockout in mice caused liver steatosis. Remarkably, the LDs are in the lumen of the ER and exhibit properties of lipoproteins, indicating a profound shift in neutral lipid flux. Finally, remote homology searches identified a domain in CLCC1 that is homologous to yeast Brl1p and Brr6p, factors that promote the fusion of the inner and outer nuclear envelopes during nuclear pore complex assembly. Loss of CLCC1 lead to extensive nuclear membrane herniations, consistent with impaired nuclear pore complex assembly. Thus, we identify CLCC1 as the human Brl1p/Brr6p homolog and propose that CLCC1-mediated membrane remodeling promotes hepatic neutral lipid flux and nuclear pore complex assembly.

Recent advances in biopolymer-based hemostatic materials.

Hemorrhage is the leading cause of trauma-related deaths, in hospital and prehospital settings. Hemostasis is a complex mechanism that involves a cascade of clotting factors and proteins that result in the formation of a strong clot. In certain surgical and emergency situations, hemostatic agents are needed to achieve faster blood coagulation to prevent the patient from experiencing a severe hemorrhagic shock. Therefore, it is critical to consider appropriate materials and designs for hemostatic agents. Many materials have been fabricated as hemostatic agents, including synthetic and naturally derived polymers. Compared to synthetic polymers, natural polymers or biopolymers, which include polysaccharides and polypeptides, have greater biocompatibility, biodegradability and processibility. Thus, in this review, we focus on biopolymer-based hemostatic agents of different forms, such as powder, particles, sponges and hydrogels. Finally, we discuss biopolymer-based hemostatic materials currently in clinical trials and offer insight into next-generation hemostats for clinical translation.

Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21): Construct Validity Problem in Hispanics.

The main purpose of this research was to examine the construct validity of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21) in order to determine whether it is able to adequately discriminate between symptoms of depression and anxiety in the Hispanic population in Puerto Rico. This study has an instrumental design. A total of 1073 Hispanics participated in this psychometric study. The results showed that the DASS-21 has serious psychometric deficiencies, especially related to the construct validity, as well as convergent and discriminatory validity. In addition, it was shown that DASS-21 do not replicate the three-dimensional structure of the original instrument in the Hispanic community. Finally, it was confirmed that the DASS-21 have difficulty in properly identifying and discriminating between symptoms associated with depression and anxiety in a Hispanic population.

Relationship Satisfaction and Infidelity-Related Behaviors on Social Networks: A Preliminary Online Study of Hispanic Women.

The purpose of this online study was to develop an explicative model regarding the origin of infidelity-related behaviors on social networks for Hispanic women. We propose that sexual satisfaction and emotional intimacy have a direct impact on the satisfaction of couple relationships, and an indirect impact in the development of infidelity-related behaviors on social networks. To investigate this proposal, we used a non-probabilistic sample of 341 Hispanic women living in Puerto Rico. Statistical analyses confirmed that satisfaction and ambivalence in couple relationship completely mediate the association between sexual satisfaction and infidelity-related behaviors on social networks, as well as the relationship between emotional intimacy and infidelity-related behaviors on social networks. Overall, women who practice infidelity-related behaviors on social networks showed less sexual satisfaction, less emotional intimacy, less relationship satisfaction, and greater ambivalence. Our results provide theoretical and empirical evidence on how infidelity-related behaviors on social networks develop in couple relationships, and these results could help to inform possible forms of prevention and intervention.

Morphine administration during low ovarian hormone stage results in transient over expression of fear memories in females.

Acute exposure to morphine after a traumatic event reduces trauma related symptoms in humans and conditioned fear expression in male rats. We aimed to determine whether acute administration of morphine alters consolidation of fear learning and extinction. Male and female rats in proestrus and metaestrus (high and low ovarian hormones respectively) underwent fear conditioning and received saline or morphine (2.5 mg/kg s.c.). The next day they underwent extinction. Results showed increased freezing during extinction only in the morphine metaestrus group while morphine did not affect males or proestrus females. Recall of extinction was similar on all groups. On a second experiment, a subset of rats conditioned during metaestrus was administered morphine prior to extinction producing no effects. We then measured mu opioid receptor (MOR) expression in the amygdala and periaqueductal gray (PAG) at the end of extinction (day 2). In males and proestrus females, morphine caused an increase in MOR in the amygdala but no in the PAG. In metaestrus females, morphine did not change MOR expression in either structure. These data suggests that ovarian hormones may interact with MORs in the amygdala to transiently alter memory consolidation. Morphine given after trauma to females with low ovarian hormones might increase the recall of fear responses, making recovery harder.