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This study explored the achievement, engagement, and school climate perceptions of African American males in urban high schools. Hierarchical regression and focus group interviews were used to analyze male sample (n = 114) data from a larger study. Findings suggest that students' perceptions were influenced by having information about and access to advanced placement (AP) courses, teacher patience and support, student--teacher relationships, and racial fairness in student discipline. Providing more information about and support in AP courses, ongoing cultural proficiency training, and investments in racially fair discipline systems are among the recommendations.

The purpose of this study was to explore the achievement perceptions of African American high school males, as related to California's Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). Although the LCFF was designed to improve equity in school funding, there is grave potential for the needs of African American students to go unmet. Pearson's correlations with bootstrapping and focus group interviews were used to analyze sample (n = 114) data from a larger study. Findings suggest that investments in advanced placement course readiness and participation, as well as training for teachers on the use of feedback and learning scaffolds are associated with African American boys' views of themselves as learners.

Purpose: This study examined California middle school physical education teachers' (grades 6-8) use of assessments based on state standards to grade their students. Methods: An electronic survey was used to collect data. Results: Of the 309 teachers surveyed, 74% based their assessments on the state physical education standards. Teachers who used standards-based assessments were more prone to assigning higher percentages of students' grades to achievement-based assessments (e.g., skills testing, fitness, standards competency) than teachers who did not use standards-based assessments. However, all teachers gave similar weightings to administrative-based assessments (e.g., dressing out appropriately). Most of the teachers (91.2%) who reported not using standards-based assessments had limited to no professional development pertaining to the standards and perceived this as the biggest challenge to using standards-based assessments. Discussion/Conclusions: This study shows that professional development may be an important factor in teachers' use of standards-based assessments and achievement-focused grading in middle school physical education.

Students with emotional and behavioral problems are placed in a variety of classroom settings, presumably where their needs can be best served. Little attention, however, has been dedicated to monitoring their behavioral progress in these settings. This study analyzed data on student engagement, disruption, and destruction during 10 types of instructional activities. Data were collected at two times across one academic year in Pennsylvania and California in 90 classrooms, ranging from grades 1 to 12. Tests of mean comparisons (i.e., independent samples and paired t-tests) and the association between variables (i.e., bivariate correlation analysis) were conducted to address a number of concerns regarding the status and stability of classrooms for students with EBD. Independent paired sample t-tests showed a lack of significant improvement in behaviors across time, and the correlational data reflect a significant relationship between student engagement and classroom activity. Findings are discussed in light of limitations and directions for future research. In addition, practical implications are noted.

Background: Missing and noncodable parental industry and occupation (I/O) information on birth certificates (BCs) can bias analyses informing parental worksite exposures and family economic stability. Methods: We used the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) software to code parental I/O in 1989–2019 California BC data (N = 21,739,406). We assessed I/O missingness and codability by reporting period, parental sex, race/ethnicity, age, and education. Results: During 1989–2019, records missing I/O increased from 4.4% to 9.4%. I/O was missing more frequently from parents who were male (7.8% vs. 4.4%), Black or American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) (9.3% and 8.9% vs. 3.2%–4.7% in others), and had high school or less education (4.0%–5.9% vs. 1.4%–2.6% in others). Of records with I/O, less than 2% were noncodable by NIOSH software. Noncodable entries were more common for parents who were male (industry (1.9% vs. 1.0%); occupation (1.5% vs. 0.7%)), Asian/Pacific Islander (industry (2.4% vs. 1.2%–1.6% in other groups); occupation (1.7% vs. 0.7%–1.5% in other groups)), age 40 and older (industry (2.1% vs. 0.4%–1.7% in younger groups); occupation (1.7% vs. 0.3%–1.3% in younger groups)), and 4‐year college graduates (industry (2.0% vs. 1.0%–1.9% in other groups); occupation (1.7% vs. 0.5%–1.4%)). Conclusions: In California BC, I/O missingness was systematically higher among parents who are male, Black, AIAN, less than 20 years old, and report no college education. I/O codability is high when information is reported, with small percentage disparities. Improving data collection is vital to equitably describe economic contexts that determine important family outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Refocused national HIV testing initiatives include a geographic focus. Using a geographic focus, we sought to identify which emergency departments (EDs) might be the most efficient targets for future HIV testing efforts, using California as an example. Retrospective analysis of California EDs, emergency physicians, and patients served, along with county-level estimates of HIV prevalence and proportion of the population living in poverty. Emphasis was placed on characterizing EDs affiliated with teaching hospitals and those located in Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention HIV priority counties. Of the 320 EDs studied, 178 were in priority counties, 29 were affiliated with teaching hospitals, and 24 had both characteristics. Of the 12,869,889 ED visits included, 61.8% occurred in priority counties, 14.7% in EDs affiliated with teaching hospitals, and 12.0% in EDs with both characteristics. The subset of EDs in priority counties with teaching hospital affiliations (compared with priority and nonpriority county ED groups without a teaching hospital affiliation) had higher overall median visit volumes and higher proportions of visits by at-risk and CDC-targeted populations (e.g., individuals who were homeless, those who identified as Black or African American race, and those who identified as Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, all p < 0.01). EDs in priority counties affiliated with teaching hospitals are major sources of health care in California. These EDs more often serve populations disproportionately impacted by HIV. These departments are efficient targets to direct testing efforts. Increasing testing in these EDs could reduce the burden of undiagnosed HIV in California. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated quadrant analysis is a novel technique to identify and to characterize the trajectory and strength of turbulent coherent structures in the atmospheric surface layer. By integrating the three-dimensional velocity field characterized by traditional quadrant analysis with respect to time, the trajectory history of individual coherent structures can be preserved with Eulerian turbulence measurements. We develop a method to identify the ejection phase of coherent structures based on turbulence kinetic energy (TKE). Identifying coherent structures within a time series using TKE performs better than identifying them with the streamwise and vertical velocity components because some coherent structures are dominated by the cross-stream velocity component as they pass the sensor. By combining this identification method with the integrated quadrant analysis, one can animate or plot the trajectory of individual coherent structures from high-frequency velocity measurements. This procedure links a coherent ejection with the subsequent sweep and quiescent period in time to visualize and quantify the strength and the duration of a coherent structure. We develop and verify the method of integrated quadrant analysis with data from two field studies: the Eclipse Boundary Layer Experiment (EBLE) in Corvallis, Oregon in August 2017 (grass field) and the Vertical Cherry Array Experiment (VACE) in Linden, California in November 2019 (cherry orchard). The combined TKE identification method and integrated quadrant analysis are promising additions to conditional sampling techniques and coherent structure characterization because the identify coherent structures and couple the sweep and ejection components in space. In an orchard (VACE), integrated quadrant analysis verifies each coherent structure is dominated by a sweep. Conversely, above the roughness sublayer (EBLE), each coherent structure is dominated by an ejection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temporal trait of crashes has huge impact on road crash occurrence and a large proportion of research have considered different time periods to determine the causes and features of crash occurrence or frequency. Compared with other safety studies based on a single time interval, considerably less research has relied on the use of multiple time units, especially for the time intervals of less than one year. The research aims to fill the gap by investigating the temporal distribution of crash counts using multiple time spans including hour, weekday and month. To illustrate the most accurate results possible, both the Chi-square test and Cochran–Mantel–Haenzel tests were employed to explore the independence of various time units based on two-way and three-way contingency tables. Eight contingency table models were developed which can be classified into four groups including Complete Independence, Joint Independence, Conditional Independence and Homogeneous Association. Finally, a set of evaluation criteria were utilized for evaluation of the model performance. The results revealed the significant association existence in all time variables (hour, weekday, month) and the model with both main and all interactive effects of time variables provides best prediction performance. Also, the findings showed that Hour 18, weekdays 1, 6, 7 (Friday and Weekends), and month 8 (August) have the largest number of crash occurrences. It is suggested that both main and interactive effects of time variables should be included for model development, which otherwise might yield misleading information. It is anticipated that research results will benefit the safety professionals with better understanding of the temporal patterns of crashes with different time periods and allow the safety administrators to allocate the safety resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study is to fill the research gap by developing the crash severity models for distinct crash types. The data are extracted from the Highway Safety Information System (HSIS) for the analysis of crashes of two severity levels (injury and non-injury) in the intersections of the state highway system in California. To identify significant variables of different crash types on the basis of crash severities, a mixed binary logit model was employed. The results demonstrate that the covariates have different effects on crash severities under various crash types. Among a large number of covariates, the number of vehicles involved, and rural roadway class demonstrate a positive significant impact on crash severities across five and four crash types, respectively. Following them, the urbanized intersections in the non-urban areas, the mainline number of lanes at the intersection and mainline signal mast arm exhibit modestly positive influence on crash severities under two crash types. On the contrary, some other variables showing a negative influence on crash severities were right or left independent alignment and cross-street number of lanes for three crash types, and lighted intersections for two crash types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive plants are major drivers of habitat modification and the scale of their impact is increasing globally as anthropogenic activities facilitate their spread. In California, an invasive plant genus of great concern is Eucalyptus. Eucalyptus leaves can alter soil chemistry and negatively affect underground macro- and microbial communities. Amphibians serve as excellent models to evaluate the effect of Eucalyptus invasion on ground-dwelling species as they predate on soil arthropods and incorporate soil microbes into their microbiotas. The skin microbiota is particularly important to amphibian health, suggesting that invasive plant species could ultimately affect amphibian populations. To investigate the potential for invasive vegetation to induce changes in microbial communities, we sampled microbial communities in the soil and on the skin of local amphibians. Specifically, we compared Batrachoseps attenuatus skin microbiomes in both Eucalyptus globulus (Myrtaceae) and native Quercus agriflolia (Fagaceae) dominated forests in the San Francisco Bay Area. We determined whether changes in microbial diversity and composition in both soil and Batrachoseps attenuatus skin were associated with dominant vegetation type. To evaluate animal health across vegetation types, we compared Batrachoseps attenuatus body condition and the presence/absence of the amphibian skin pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. We found that Eucalyptus invasion had no measurable effect on soil microbial community diversity and a relatively small effect (compared to the effect of site identity) on community structure in the microhabitats sampled. In contrast, our results show that Batrachoseps attenuatus skin microbiota diversity was greater in Quercus dominated habitats. One amplicon sequence variant identified in the family Chlamydiaceae was observed in higher relative abundance among salamanders sampled in Eucalyptus dominated habitats. We also observed that Batrachoseps attenuatus body condition was higher in Quercus dominated habitats. Incidence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis across all individuals was very low (only one Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis positive individual). The effect on body condition demonstrates that although Eucalyptus may not always decrease amphibian abundance or diversity, it can potentially have cryptic negative effects. Our findings prompt further work to determine the mechanisms that lead to changes in the health and microbiome of native species post-plant invasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality Issue: Implementing quality improvement (QI) education during clinical training is challenging due to time constraints and inadequate faculty development in these areas.Initial Assessment: Quiz-based reinforcement systems show promise in fostering active engagement, collaboration, healthy competition and real-time formative feedback, although further research on their effectiveness is required.Choice Of Solution: An online quiz-based reinforcement system to increase resident and faculty knowledge in QI, patient safety and care transitions.Implementation: Experts in QI and educational assessment at the 5 University of California medical campuses developed a course comprised of 3 quizzes on Introduction to QI, Patient Safety and Care Transitions. Each quiz contained 20 questions and utilized an online educational quiz-based reinforcement system that leveraged spaced learning.Evaluation: Approximately 500 learners completed the course (completion rate 66-86%). Knowledge acquisition scores for all quizzes increased after completion: Introduction to QI (35-73%), Patient Safety (58-95%), and Care Transitions (66-90%). Learners reported that the quiz-based system was an effective teaching modality and preferred this type of education to classroom-based lectures. Suggestions for improvement included reducing frequency of presentation of questions and utilizing more questions that test learners on application of knowledge instead of knowledge acquisition.Lessons Learned: A multi-campus online quiz-based reinforcement system to train residents in QI, patient safety and care transitions was feasible, acceptable, and increased knowledge. The course may be best utilized to supplement classroom-based and experiential curricula, along with increased attention to optimizing frequency of presentation of questions and enhancing application skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: From 1963-1995, a factory in Willits, Mendocino County, CA used toxic hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) without adequate measures to protect the population. We use longitudinal hospital data to compare reproductive outcomes for two generations in Willits and two generations in the Rest of County (ROC). This is the first study to quantify the reproductive impact of Cr(VI) in a non-occupational population.Methods: We searched California hospital discharge data (1983-2014) to find Mendocino County residents born 1950 or later. ZIP-code 95490 identifies Willits residents, with all others living in ROC. We used the Multi-Level Clinical Classification Software (CCS) to classify health outcomes. First, we calculated the crude birth rate using an external census denominator. The next two models used self-contained denominators to assess health of infants and two generations of pregnant women. Finally, we focused on non-pregnant females and, for comparison, males. Here we added admissions for people who moved, linked and summarized admissions to the person level, and calculated rates per census population.Results: We found 29311 newborn records in ROC and 5036 from Willits. At start of period, Willits birth rate was low and did not recover until 12 years after Plant closure. While the Plant was open, respiratory conditions, perinatal jaundice, and birth defect rates were higher for Willits infants compared to ROC, but improved post-closure. Risk for abnormal birthweight and term was high and remained high over the study period. During the period under study, we identified 31444 admissions of pregnant ROC women and 5558 from Willits. Willits women had significantly higher risk of pregnancy loss compared to ROC, whether stratified by generation, age group, or pre- and post-closure. Regardless of when exposed, Willits women continued to have significantly higher rates of in-hospital terminations, as animal studies of Cr(VI) exposure predict. In life course models, non-pregnant Willits women have significantly higher risk of reproductive organ conditions and neoplasms compared to ROC.Conclusions: Adverse reproductive outcomes are elevated and consistent with animal studies. General health outcomes reflect the same broad effect reported for occupationally exposed workers. For the first time, the detrimental reproductive effects of non-occupational Cr(VI) exposure in human females and their infants is reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In outpatient oncology clinics, external vendors often provide and maintain infusion pumps for patients who require home chemotherapy infusions. Disruptions caused by pump malfunctions may result in: patients reporting to an Emergency Department after hours, chemotherapy cassettes having to be urgently remade and replaced, incomplete therapy, and increased patient distress. At a satellite clinic of an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center in the Northwest, an increase in the number of unexpected alarms was noted by nursing in June 2021. The purpose of this project was to identify the source of an increase in unexpected pump alarms and develop a corrective action plan to prevent disruptions in care and increase patient safety. A Root Cause Analysis (RCA) was completed with frontline nursing, nursing leadership, quality program manager and external pump vendor. A review of organizational incident reports was also completed to assess the breadth of the problem across the entire organization. During the RCA, the frequency of pump alarms at the satellite clinic was determined using nurse-reported events from an incident reporting database. Incidence increased from zero reports before May 2021 to a total of 19 pump alarms between June and August 2021. Findings were presented to a multidisciplinary system-wide committee, resulting in other clinical sites reporting the same issue with unexpected alarms. Data was then compiled system-wide using the same method of analyzing incident reports. Analysis showed that all sites had reported an increase in alarms, dating back to April 2021. As a result of the RCA, the external vendor shared the etiology of increased incidence of alarms was the infusion cassette. An action plan was formulated with RCA participants. The vendor's nurse educator developed education for patients and staff regarding management of alarms. Since the issue is system-wide, the project was presented at a multi-site infusion nursing practice committee and the decision was made to form a workgroup due to the implications to both patients and staff. The workgroup was tasked to investigate the feasibility of changing home infusion pumps or evaluating other external vendors. Based on decisions from the workgroup, patient and staff education will be developed for approval and implementation. After implementation, continued comprehensive analysis across multiple sites provides the best data for improving oncology care outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Purpose: Existing intensive care unit (ICU) mortality measurement systems address in-hospital mortality only. However, early postdischarge mortality contributes significantly to overall 30-day mortality. Factors associated with early postdischarge mortality are unknown. Methods: We performed a retrospective study of 8484 ICU patients. Our primary outcome was early postdischarge mortality: death after hospital discharge and 30 days or less from ICU admission. Cox regression models assessed the association between patient, hospital, and utilization factors and the primary outcome. Results: In multivariate analyses, the hazard for early postdischarge mortality increased with rising severity of illness and decreased with full-code status (hazard ratio [HR], 0.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.21-0.49). Compared with discharges home, early postdischarge mortality was highest for acute care transfers (HR, 3.18; 95% CI, 2.45-4.12). Finally, patients with very short ICU length of stay (<1 day) had greater early postdischarge mortality (HR, 1.86; 95% CI; 1.32-2.61) than those with longest stays (≥7 days). Conclusions: Early postdischarge mortality is associated with patient preferences (full-code status) and decisions regarding timing and location of discharge. These findings have important implications for anyone attempting to measure or improve ICU performance and who rely on in-hospital mortality measures to do so. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This Article is intended as a companion piece to the Legacy of Lords article published in the UCLA Entertainment Law Review's Summer, 2007 issue (Volume 14.2). In particular, the new Article features an exclusive interview conducted by the authors with FBI Supervisory Special Agent Chuck Joyner at the FBI office in Los Angeles. Whereas the Legacy of Lords article addressed the FBI raids of adult movie industry age-verification records from the point of view of those working within the industry, this Article explores an alternative point of view of the searches: that of the FBI and the government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The FBI in July 2006 began an unprecedented series of inspections on "adult" movie studios in Southern California's San Fernando Valley. The declared purpose of the inspections was to verify the ages of all performers and off-camera employees and to examine records that the industry is now required to keep under 18 U.S.C. §2257. So what political or other motivations did the FBI have for suddenly beginning the §2257 compliance inspections in 2006? Have the inspections, in fact, uncovered any problem with underage performers in the adult movie industry? How have the inspections affected the adult movie business in Southern California, and what are the long-term effects likely to be on the industry? Is there selective enforcement by the FBI in terms of which companies are being targeted? What actually transpires when the FBI comes knocking on the doors of an adult movie company, and what takes place once the agents are inside? How much time, effort and money do adult movie companies spend in their efforts to comply with the §2257 rules? This article addresses these issues, in interview form, from the unique first-person perspectives of more than a half-dozen leading individuals [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The paper reconsiders the nature of mining districts and property rights during the California gold rush. According to a widely accepted view advanced by Umbeck [Explorations in Economic History 14 (1977) 197; A Theory of Property Rights with Application to the California Gold Rush. Iowa State University Press, Ames, IA, 1981], in the absence of effective legal authority, district codes established secure property rights in mining claims. Such accounts neglect essential aspects of the economic context, specifically that the gold rush approximated an open-access race for a small number of high value deposits. We show that mining district codes gave equal attention to the rights of claim-jumpers as to claim holders, a balance that in practice generated chronic insecurity and litigation. A simple game-theoretic model illustrates stylized features of the situation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The research presented here evaluated descriptor variables used by agencies to assess scenic quality along roads in their jurisdiction. The goal was to determine if these descriptors, when applied in an expert assessment, could produce results indicative of public preference for highway conditions. Several state and federal scenic highway programs were first reviewed to determine what descriptors were most widely used in their assessment efforts. From that review, four descriptors were selected: naturalness, vividness, variety, and unity. A photographic inventory was generated along a road corridor in California’s Central Coast region. A pool of landscape architects was shown test slides from that corridor, and was asked to rate each scene using the four descriptors. Untrained observers were then shown the identical slides, and were asked to rate the scenic beauty per-scene. Mean scenic beauty scores were compiled and later related to the expert judgments, using correlation, regression and factor analysis. Results indicate that vividness had a significant relation with preference, and was most correlated with the construct scenic beauty. Of the three other descriptors, only variety presented a significant relation to preference. The contribution of variety was; however, limited, as it did not supply additional information concerning preference beyond that provided by vividness in the regression equation. Of note is that naturalness did not significantly add to the analytical ability to predict preference. This runs contrary to discussions in the cited programs, which imply that natural conditions are the scenic ideal. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Examines the relationship between two types of private-order institutions that facilitated trade in Mexican California during the 1830s and 1840s. Trade in California; Exchange in the local communities; Trade among merchants; Relationships between institutions.

Trade prospered in absence of law in California during the 1830s and 1840s. Merchants, through intermerchant trade and the partnerships they organized to buy goods abroad, played a central role in trade. This article examines the private-order institution that facilitated intermerchant trade. The hypothesis is that a particular type of private-order institution, a coalition, governed agency relations among merchants in California. Within the coalition, a reputation mechanism mitigated the commitment problem inherent in having individuals handle goods that they did not own by linking a merchant's past behavior and his future payoff. Evidence from the merchants' business correspondence supports the hypothesis. A game-theoretic model of a coalition is presented. The model provides insight into the punishment merchants imposed on cheaters, the expansion of the coalition in the 1830s, and its collapse around the time of the gold rush in 1848–1849 [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses the Scripps Health's challenge of promoting and increasing brand awareness of its primary care practices in San Diego, California. It details the system-wide reorganization and new brand positioning project to recruit 10,000 patients to its primary care services through the compelling medical success stories and personal experiences of patients. It also explores the strategic online and direct mail advertising campaign that communicates Scripps' promise of service and quality care.

The article presents information on social impact bonds (SIBs), that will support efforts to reduce emergency department visits and hospital stays related to asthma in Fresno, California. As part of a pilot program, 200 local children with asthma will begin preventive care early in 2013; and the researchers will match each child's diagnosis and treatment costs, and provide them with an idea of savings that could come from preventive care.

The article discusses the article "Health Risk of Bathing in Southern California Coastal Waters," by Brinks et al in the current issue. The author asserts that the article does not lead to better understanding of the unknown variables in monitoring water quality and the health risk to bathers, and that the article rests on two faulty assumptions: that pathogenic microbes regularly impact southern California beaches; and that the measured quantities of enterococci or fecal streptococci come from human sources. Studies are cited arguing that the bacteria do not come from human sources and that they do not correspond to illnesses in bathers.