Black Lives Experiencing Homelessness Matter: A Critical Conceptual Framework for Understanding How Policing Drives System Avoidance among Vulnerable Populations

This paper examines racialized encounters with the police from the perspectives of people experiencing homelessness in San Diego, California in 2020. By some estimates, homelessness doubled in San Diego during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a survey of (n = 244) and interviews with (n = 57) homeless San Diegans during initial shelter-in-place orders, oversampling for Black respondents, whose voices are often under-represented despite high rates of homelessness nationally. Our respondents reported high rates of police contact, frequent lack of respect;overt racism, sexism, and homophobia;and a failure to offer basic services during these encounters. Centering our Black respondents' experiences of criminalization and racism in what Clair calls "criminalized subjectivity," we develop a conceptual framework that brings together critical theoretical perspectives on the role of race in the governance of poverty and crime. When people experiencing extreme poverty face apathy, disrespect, and discrimination from police—as our data show—the result is a reluctance to seek services and to engage with outreach when offered. This reinforces stereotypes of unhoused people as not "wanting" help or "choosing" to be homeless. We reflect on these findings and our framework for envisioning a system of public safety that supports and cares for—rather than punishes—the most vulnerable members of our society. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Public Integrity is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Future Proofing Streaming Video Acquisitions: A Medium Sized Academic Library Adapts

The pedagogical appeal of using film in higher education, while not new, has undeniably grown since the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated remote teaching for health and safety reasons. This dramatic rise in streaming video requests is challenging for academic libraries of all sizes. Yet, smaller- and medium-sized institutions have personnel who already juggle multiple roles and responsibilities, resulting in chaos and the need for new workflows. This article will reflect on the past 24 months of managing streaming video at the University of San Diego's Copley Library, comparing the remote instruction period to the hybrid teaching that followed.

Soil Liquefaction Remediation of the Port of San Diego's B Street Pier Facility Using Deep Soil Mixing

The Port of San Diego's B Street Pier facility (Pier) is the busiest cruise terminal in the City of San Diego with over a hundred ship calls annually (pre-COVID). The Pier is an approximately 9.4-acre bulkhead faced mole extending about 1,000 ft into San Diego Bay and approximately 400 ft wide. On the three offshore sides of the bulkheaded mole are marginal pile supported wharfs constructed in 1923. The upland side of the mole is a concrete gravity seawall constructed in 1900. The mole soils consist of hydraulically placed dredge spoils and are susceptible to liquefaction.The existing Pier containment walls are deemed inadequate for seismic loading, mainly due to the presence of liquefiable materials both in front of and behind the existing containment wall. A solution consisting of an improved Deep Soil Mixing (DSM) zone coupled with the installation of a new steel sheet bulkhead was selected to retrofit and upgrade the Pier to current seismic standards. A key aspect of the design was to minimize loading induced from the wharf onto the existing curtain wall during an earthquake. The DSM zone is intended to serve a triple purpose, that is to improve shear strength of the soils behind the curtain wall, to mitigate the impact of liquefaction, and to provide sufficient bearing for potential future lightly loaded structures which may be constructed on the Pier. To obtain a cost-effective design and limit the DSM zone extents, the design also needed to limit the seismic load contributions to the DSM from the marginal wharves during seismic conditions. A development plan consisting of a multi-phased construction plan was determined to meet the Port's capital improvement needs and budget. Phase I development will install the DSM zone and steel sheet pile bulkhead along the south and west face of the mole. Future work will include wharf pile and deck replacement along with completing curtain wall replacement along the north face of the mole. This paper presents the geotechnical design challenges and considerations associated with the design of the DSM and sheet pile system comprising Phase I of the development plan. Key aspects of the geotechnical design included the selection of appropriate liquefaction resistance of the DSM improved zone, designing for the lateral spread of the slope in front of the curtain wall, assessment of stability and deformation of the proposed sheet pile, and the determination of the seismic earth pressures. © ASCE.

A large cohort study of the effects of Lewis, ABO, 13 other blood groups, and secretor status on COVID-19 susceptibility, severity, and long COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have reported Blood type O to confer a lower risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, while secretor status and other blood groups have been suspected to have a similar effect as well. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: To determine whether any other blood groups influence testing positive for SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 severity, or prolonged COVID-19, we used a large cohort of 650,156 Danish blood donors with varying available data for secretor status and blood groups ABO, Rh, Colton, Duffy, Diego, Dombrock, Kell, Kidd, Knops, Lewis, Lutheran, MNS, P1PK, Vel, and Yt. Of these, 36,068 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 whereas 614,088 tested negative between 2020-02-17 and 2021-08-04. Associations between infection and blood groups were assessed using logistic regression models with sex and age as covariates. RESULTS: The Lewis blood group antigen Lea displayed strongly reduced SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility OR 0.85 CI[0.79-0.93] p < .001. Compared to blood type O, the blood types B, A, and AB were found more susceptible toward infection with ORs 1.1 CI[1.06-1.14] p < .001, 1.17 CI[1.14-1.2] p < .001, and 1.2 CI[1.14-1.26] p < .001, respectively. No susceptibility associations were found for the other 13 blood groups investigated. There was no association between any blood groups and COVID-19 hospitalization or long COVID-19. No secretor status associations were found. DISCUSSION: This study uncovers a new association to reduced SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility for Lewis type Lea and confirms the previous link to blood group O. The new association to Lea could be explained by a link between mucosal microbiome and SARS-CoV-2.

ESPACIO, PODER, ESTÉTICA RITUAL Y AGENCIA POSTMORTUORIA: EL FUNERAL DE ESTADO DE DIEGO MARADONA

El artículo analiza las formas en que se despliega el poder, el uso del espacio y la estética en el funeral de estado de Diego Maradona. Se argumenta que tanto el Estado como los asistentes, a pesar de tomar como materia prima símbolos análogos, poseen sus propios y distintivos modos de simbolizar el ritual. Donde un análisis raudo puede homologar las nociones sobre el fútbol, el espacio y la nación que se desarrollan en el funeral, este trabajo, que combina las herramientas metodológicas brindadas por la etnografía, la netnografía y la utilización de diversas fuentes, muestra distintivos procesos de creatividad cultural en torno a las exequias del futbolista.Alternate :This paper analyses how power, use of space and aesthetics are displayed in Diego Maradona's state funeral. The argument is that, in spite of taking the same symbols as raw materials, both the State and the assistants have their own and distinctive ways of symbolizing the ritual. A quick analysis might equate the conceptions of football, space and nation developed during the funeral. However, this paper, that combines methodological tools from ethnography, netnography and the use of several sources, shows distinctive processes of cultural creativity surrounding the football player's funeral.

A Native American Perspective on Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure in Southern California

Although the needs for sustainable urban infrastructure systems are increasingly being recognized and addressed, the same is not true for Native American communities, where existence, condition, and access to a collection of infrastructure systems is often lagging behind urban and non-native communities. To date, there has been a quite limited number of studies exploring Native American perspectives on infrastructure challenges and how to build sustainable and resilient infrastructure systems in their communities. Thus, the purpose of this study is to identify the challenges and opportunities for building sustainable infrastructure systems for Native American communities in Southern California and investigate how those communities experience, understand, and apply engineering practice in the context of their community and culture. Drawing from six group interviews, our study highlights challenges and opportunities for building sustainable and resilient infrastructure systems on tribal reservations in San Diego County, California, from the perspectives offered by Native Americans themselves. We focus on infrastructure systems fundamental to well-being: built environment, water/wastewater, telecommunications, transportation, energy, human capital, and education. Our research participants emphasized the importance of their cultures, sovereignty, and care for the welfare of their communities in innovating sustainable and resilient infrastructure. To accomplish this, a key priority should be to train native engineers, who are best positioned to understand the infrastructure needs and opportunities in their own communities.

Quantifying Movement Motivations, Demand, and Inflow-Outflow Dynamics in Four Cities (New York, Chicago, Austin, and San Diego) during COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted a wide range of human activities, from food delivery habits to major moving and travel decisions. Results indicate multiple pandemic-related factors have influenced millions of relocation decisions by Americans (e.g., health risk, financial pressures, more space, and employment), and there are various positive economic and social outcomes of this influence (e.g., remote work and education), enabling more affordable living and opportunity. This paper addresses COVID-19 impacts on mobility, especially involving permanent relocations. Survey design and data analysis with U-Haul targeted customers in Austin, New York, San Diego, and Chicago to understand mobility, new moving dynamics, and motivations. © ASCE. All rights reserved.

Geriatric Emergency Departments and Their Targeted Response to COVID

More than 60% of older adults enter the hospital through the Emergency Department. GEDs have demonstrated their heightened relevance during the pandemic in providing age-appropriate care and strengthening future public health emergency preparedness through developing and disseminating targeted recommendations, resources, trainings, and telehealth implementation support for healthcare staff. Many changes implemented during the pandemic should continue post-COVID. © 2022 American Society on Aging. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of a public school district nutrition education program in Southern California's San Diego County

The prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents has markedly increased in several developed countries in recent years. Researchers have examined different factors that contribute to overweight and obesity in children and adolescents but have not fully explored the psychological impact of obesity on this population. The effectiveness of nutrition education programs in addressing the effects of obesity is also understudied. The primary purpose of this evaluative case study was to examine the impact of the Harvest of the Month nutritional educational program, which was adopted by San Diego County public schools in 2005, on the nutritional habits and psychosocial well-being of primary school students in the school system. A mixed-methods design was used. The COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult to recruit participants;ultimately, data were collected from a parent/caregiver, a teacher, and a lead kitchen worker in one San Diego area school district. The parent/caregiver and teacher completed a self-administered survey whereas the lead kitchen worker participated in an interview. The findings provide some insight on the value of introducing a variety of fruits and vegetables early in childhood and on involving parents and caregivers in nutrition education programs but are not generalizable due to the small sample size. Despite a limited sample, this study adds to the existing body of knowledge regarding the importance of implementing nutrition education programs in schools to combat childhood obesity. Using the study findings, policy makers may be able to promote positive social change by enhancing programs dedicated to nutrition education to subsequently improve psychological well-being among overweight and obese children and adolescents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on refugee communities in San Diego, California: A participatory action research cross-sectional study.

Background: While the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted people worldwide, refugee communities are particularly vulnerable to the pandemic's social, economic and health impacts. This study assessed factors associated with increases in adverse community effects of COVID-19 in a refugee community in California. Methods: This study uses data from a cross-sectional survey developed and administered as part of a participatory action research project by a refugee community organization in San Diego, California. Data was collected between September and November 2020 in a sample of refugee community members (n = 517). Multivariable Poisson regression models measured associations between sociodemographic and acculturation measures with seven adverse community effects overall and stratified by duration of residence in the United States. Adverse community effects included job/wage loss, bank/cash access barriers, food insecurity, school interruptions, household violence, substance misuse and poor mental health. Results: Refugee community members reported an average of 2.1 adverse community effects that worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, with job/wage loss and poor mental health the most prevalent (84% and 49%). Characteristics associated with reporting increased numbers of adverse community effects included being younger, female, childless, not actively seeking employment, living in the US for six or more years and speaking English at home. Stratified analyses show that these associations were concentrated in refugees who had lived in the US for at least six years. Conclusion: Refugee communities have experienced pervasive job losses and worsening mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, and these effects are concentrated in respondents who have lived in the US for six or more years. Additional targeted support is needed to ensure that refugees who have lived in the US for longer durations have the financial and social support needed to cope with the unprecedented challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Novel Dormancy Mechanism of Castration Resistance in Bone Metastatic Prostate Cancer Organoids.

Advanced prostate cancer (PCa) patients with bone metastases are treated with androgen pathway directed therapy (APDT). However, this treatment invariably fails and the cancer becomes castration resistant. To elucidate resistance mechanisms and to provide a more predictive pre-clinical research platform reflecting tumor heterogeneity, we established organoids from a patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model of bone metastatic prostate cancer, PCSD1. APDT-resistant PDX-derived organoids (PDOs) emerged when cultured without androgen or with the anti-androgen, enzalutamide. Transcriptomics revealed up-regulation of neurogenic and steroidogenic genes and down-regulation of DNA repair, cell cycle, circadian pathways and the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV-2 host viral entry factors, ACE2 and TMPRSS2. Time course analysis of the cell cycle in live cells revealed that enzalutamide induced a gradual transition into a reversible dormant state as shown here for the first time at the single cell level in the context of multi-cellular, 3D living organoids using the Fucci2BL fluorescent live cell cycle tracker system. We show here a new mechanism of castration resistance in which enzalutamide induced dormancy and novel basal-luminal-like cells in bone metastatic prostate cancer organoids. These PDX organoids can be used to develop therapies targeting dormant APDT-resistant cells and host factors required for SARS-CoV-2 viral entry.

COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Policy Design with Reinforcement Learning

COVID-19 has become a global crisis and the vaccine has been seen as an effective approach to stop the epidemic spread. However, the resources for distributing and allocating different types of vaccines are limited and we need a better vaccine distribution policy design to prevent the spread of COVID-19 more efficiently. In this study, a pipeline of combing a random forest model and a DQN model is proposed. The random forest model is built to predict the daily new confirmed cases with the vaccine data as the inputs. And the DQN model is built to design the daily allocation ratio of three types of vaccines, with the aim to minimize the new confirmed cases. The experimental results based on the real-world datasets collected in San Diego validate the effectiveness of the proposed pipeline. © 2021 ACM.

Work in Progress: Suitability of Spatial Visualization Training for Remote Learning

This work in progress (WIP) describes the impact that a spatial visualization training app had on learning outcomes and engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. When the pandemic hit, classes with computer aided design (CAD) instruction had two challenges to overcome as people transitioned to remote or online learning. One challenge was that the remote nature of the instruction made it difficult for teachers to provide feedback to students as quickly as they did in a classroom setting thereby maintaining student engagement. The second challenge was the lack of student access to computers or technology necessary to run the CAD packages. To address these challenges, a number of middle schools, high schools and post-secondary schools adopted for the first time the use of Spatial Vis, a freehand sketching and spatial visualization app that ran on smartphones, tablets, and Chromebooks. Since Spatial Vis automatically grades students' sketches and provides immediate feedback, it has the potential to increase student engagement during remote instruction and prepare them for CAD instruction. For many of these newly adopted courses, as well as for courses that had used the app prior to the pandemic, the use of the app resulted in an increased amount of spatial visualization instruction to compensate for the technical constraints and reduced capabilities to teach CAD. Due to the rush to switch to remote instruction, the courses that adopted the Spatial Vis app were not part of a controlled study. However, the digital nature of the app allows for the quantification of data such as how many assignments the students completed in each module and quantification of student persistence in the app. Furthermore, instructor feedback provides qualitative information regarding learning outcomes. In this study, student performance was evaluated in two introductory CAD courses at San Diego State University and University of California, San Diego, both of which used the app prior to COVID-19 and during the pandemic. In both classes, pre and post testing was done with a standardized test to measure spatial visualization ability. Comparisons were made of app performance and test performance before COVID-19 and during COVID-19. Conclusions were drawn regarding the suitability of the Spatial Vis app for remote learning. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021

Dynamic Panel Data Modeling and Surveillance of COVID-19 in Metropolitan Areas in the United States: Longitudinal Trend Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has had profound and differential impacts on metropolitan areas across the United States and around the world. Within the United States, metropolitan areas that were hit earliest with the pandemic and reacted with scientifically based health policy were able to contain the virus by late spring. For other areas that kept businesses open, the first wave in the United States hit in mid-summer. As the weather turns colder, universities resume classes, and people tire of lockdowns, a second wave is ascending in both metropolitan and rural areas. It becomes more obvious that additional SARS-CoV-2 surveillance is needed at the local level to track recent shifts in the pandemic, rates of increase, and persistence. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study is to provide advanced surveillance metrics for COVID-19 transmission that account for speed, acceleration, jerk and persistence, and weekly shifts, to better understand and manage risk in metropolitan areas. Existing surveillance measures coupled with our dynamic metrics of transmission will inform health policy to control the COVID-19 pandemic until, and after, an effective vaccine is developed. Here, we provide values for novel indicators to measure COVID-19 transmission at the metropolitan area level. METHODS: Using a longitudinal trend analysis study design, we extracted 260 days of COVID-19 data from public health registries. We used an empirical difference equation to measure the daily number of cases in the 25 largest US metropolitan areas as a function of the prior number of cases and weekly shift variables based on a dynamic panel data model that was estimated using the generalized method of moments approach by implementing the Arellano-Bond estimator in R. RESULTS: Minneapolis and Chicago have the greatest average number of daily new positive results per standardized 100,000 population (which we refer to as speed). Extreme behavior in Minneapolis showed an increase in speed from 17 to 30 (67%) in 1 week. The jerk and acceleration calculated for these areas also showed extreme behavior. The dynamic panel data model shows that Minneapolis, Chicago, and Detroit have the largest persistence effects, meaning that new cases pertaining to a specific week are statistically attributable to new cases from the prior week. CONCLUSIONS: Three of the metropolitan areas with historically early and harsh winters have the highest persistence effects out of the top 25 most populous metropolitan areas in the United States at the beginning of their cold weather season. With these persistence effects, and with indoor activities becoming more popular as the weather gets colder, stringent COVID-19 regulations will be more important than ever to flatten the second wave of the pandemic. As colder weather grips more of the nation, southern metropolitan areas may also see large spikes in the number of cases.

Designing a critical care solution using in-person and telemedicine approaches in the US-Mexico border area during COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: UC San Diego Health System (UCSDHS) is the largest academic medical center and integrated care network in US-Mexico border area of California contiguous to the Northern Baja region of Mexico. The COVID-19 pandemic compelled several UCSDHS and local communities to create awareness around best methods to promote regional health in this economically, socially, and politically important border area. PURPOSE: To improve understanding of optimal strategies to execute critical care collaborative programs between academic and community health centers facing public health emergencies during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on the experience of UCSDHS and several community hospitals (one US, two Mexican) in the US-Mexico border region. METHODS: After taking several preparatory steps, we developed a two-phase program that included 1) in-person activities to perform needs assessments, hands-on training and education, and morale building and 2) creation of a telemedicine-based (Tele-ICU) service for direct patient management and/or educational coaching experiences.Findings.A clinical and educational program between academic and community border hospitals was feasible, effective, and well received. CONCLUSION: We offer several policy-oriented recommendations steps for academic and community healthcare programs to build educational, collaborative partnerships to address COVID-19 and other cross-cultural, international public health emergencies.

ABO phenotype and clinical correlates of COVID-19 severity in hospitalized patients.

AIM: This study investigates the association between ABO blood phenotype and COVID-19 severity, measured by intensive care unit admission, need for intubation, hospitalization length and death. It further explores clinical predictors of COVID-19 severity within a primarily Hispanic demographic in San Diego County. MATERIALS & METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 942 total patients, 473 with available blood type, hospitalized at five Scripps Health hospitals with COVID-19. RESULTS: No significant association was found between ABO phenotype and COVID-19 severity on multivariate analysis, while a diagnosis of anemia and male sex was associated with all severity outcomes on exploratory analysis. CONCLUSION: Our results provide relevant clinical correlates of COVID-19 severity and help better elucidate the association between ABO phenotype and COVID-19.