Structural Power, Systemic Poverty, and Entrenchment Among African American Males

Poverty and structural power are immensely broad phenomena shaping economic and social architectures of societies globally. However, among the depth of complex mechanisms covertly functioning to perpetuate poverty, this chapter identifies structural power as one of the critical social constructs influencing systemic poverty. To explore structural power as a social force influencing systemic poverty, as a conceptual framework, and as means to support the overtone of social injustice, throughout this chapter an adaptation of the adverse childhood experiences (ACE) model is used. Through a more narrowed approach, the researcher uses the ACE model to explore structural power and systemic poverty through four experiential factors: educational, social, physical, and psychological. The experiences are motived by structural power and defined within the context of systemic poverty to explore the influence of those experiences on entrenchment of African American males later in adulthood.

Hadley Circulation in the Present and Future Climate Simulations of the K-ACE Model

Hadley circulation (HC) is a planetary-scale overturning circulation in the tropics that transports momentum, heat, and moisture poleward. In this study, we evaluate the strength and extent of the HC in the historical and future climate simulations of the Korean Meteorological Administration (KMA) Advanced Community Earth system model (K-ACE), which was recently developed by the National Institute of Meteorological Sciences of Korea. Compared with a reanalysis product, the overall structure of the HC is reasonably reproduced by the K-ACE. At the same time, it is also found that the Northern Hemisphere HC in the K-ACE is shifted southward by a few degrees, while the strength of the Southern Hemisphere (SH) HC is under-represented by approximately 20%. These biases in the strength and extent of the HC can be explained by biases in the eddy momentum flux and precipitation in the tropics. In the future climate simulations under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway 5-Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 scenario, the HCs in the K-ACE show a weakening and widening trend in both hemispheres, which is consistent with the projections of many Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 models. A notable feature of the K-ACE is the widening of the SH HC, which takes place at a rate that is about double the multi-model mean. Climate models that share the component models with the K-ACE, such as UKESM, HadGEM3-GC31-LL, and ACCESS-CM2/ESM1, also show enhanced poleward expansion of the HC in the SH. This strong expansion is shown to be dominated by the expansion of the regional HC over the Pacific.

Protocol for the Development and Rapid-Response Deployment of Pandemic Acceptance and Commitment to Empowerment Response (PACER) Training (Preprint)

BACKGROUND During a global pandemic, it is critical to rapidly deploy a psychological intervention to support the mental health and resilience of highly affected individuals and communities. OBJECTIVE This is the impetus behind the development and implementation of the Pandemic Acceptance and Commitment to Empowerment Response (PACER) Training, an online blended-skills building intervention to increase the resilience and wellbeing of participants while promoting their individual and collective empowerment and capacity-building. METHODS Based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and social justice-based Group Empowerment Psychoeducation (GEP), we developed the Acceptance and Commitment to Empowerment (ACE) model to enhance psychological resilience and collective empowerment. PACER program consists of six online interactive self-guided modules complemented by six weekly 90 minutes facilitator-led video-conference group sessions. RESULTS As of August 2021, a total of 325 participants have enrolled in the PACER program. Participants include frontline healthcare providers and Chinese Canadian community members. CONCLUSIONS The PACER program is an innovative intervention program with the potential for increasing psychological resilience and collective empowerment while reducing mental distress during the pandemic.

Setting Up Geriatric Care in Subsaharan Africa : A 1-Year Experience in the Yaounde Central Hospital of Cameroon

Background: As the share of the older population is growing worldwide, health systems in developing countries need a policy shift to address the challenge of the optimization of healthcare across age groups. Many older people in resource-limited countries will seek specific care due to multimorbidity and frailty, as the burden of non-communicable diseases is getting heavier. Methods: Over a one-year period, we trained healthcare workers and developed new procedures of care in the geriatric unit of the Yaoundé Central Hospital in Cameroon, using the Acute Care for Elders (ACE) model. This model of care in Geriatrics is based on a patient-centered approach and is focused on preventing functional decline in acutely ill older patients. Results: During the implementation of the ACE model, 202 patients were hospitalized in the unit, of whom 60.9% (n=123) were female; the mean (SD) age was 79.3 (8.8) years. A multidisciplinary team was brought together, including a geriatrician, two general practitioners, two geriatric nurses, two advanced practice nurses and a social worker. After a thorough examination of the care procedures, nurses were given complementary missions, such as assessing functional status and providing therapeutic education to the patients and their family members. All hospitalized and ambulatory patients were offered a comprehensive geriatric assessment at the outpatient clinic.Conclusion: It was possible to establish a comprehensive model of care for older patients in our hospital with few trained personnel. Further actions are needed to improve the care of older people in resource-limited settings.

Psilocybin for Depression: The ACE Model Manual

"The Psilocybin for Depression: The ACE Manual '' describes the structure, procedures, and scripts used in the two Imperial College London studies (Psilodep) researching psilocybin treatment for major depression.

Incorporating Polygenic Risk Scores in the ACE Twin Model to Estimate A–C Covariance

The assumption in the twin model that genotypic and environmental variables are uncorrelated is primarily made to ensure parameter identification, not because researchers necessarily think that these variables are uncorrelated. Although the biasing effects of such correlations are well understood, a method to estimate these parameters in the twin model would be useful. Here we explore the possibility of relaxing this assumption by adding polygenic scores to the (univariate) twin model. We demonstrate that this extension renders the additive genetic (A)—common environmental (C) covariance (σAC) identified. We study the statistical power to reject σAC = 0 in the ACE model and present the results of simulations.

Quantitative safety evaluation of drilling engineering by combining analytic hierarchy process with alternating condition expectation

Drilling engineering is important for development of underground resources. There are many potential risks in the process of drilling engineering. If the drilling safety is not effectively managed, it will lead to great loss. In order to predicate and prevent safety accidents, a safety evaluation index system is established and an AHP-ACE method is proposed. 23 groups of original drilling data are collected from a block of Xinjiang oil field, and the safety levels are quantitatively analyzed by characteristic values. First, the AHP method is applied to relate direct observation variables to potential variables by calculating weight and determining membership function of each index. Second, three potential variables are chosen as the input of the ACE model and a training set containing 17 groups of data is used to establish the mathematical relationship between the potential variables and drilling safety value. Finally, the validity of the proposed model is examined by matching it to the other 6 groups of data. This study provides a new and effective way to quantitatively evaluate the safety of drilling engineering.

How do Principals of High Performing Schools Achieve Sustained Improvement Results?

Education systems across the globe have enacted national testing regimes to monitor and report student achievement progress as an outcome of teaching performance. This paper reports on an investigation of strategies that Principals of high achieving schools use to achieve school results, based on NAPLAN reports (the National Assessment Program in Australia) and interpreted via the Alignment, Capability and Engagement (ACE) model of organisational readiness. Our findings identified specific Principal behaviours, actions and attitudes as necessary for effective school-wide improvement programs, as well as the existence of commonly shared strategies and approaches that help to explain why these particular Principals have been successful in their pursuit of school improvement. These include a shared vision for improvement, use of data-driven decision making, and building positive, “transparent” relationships to encourage teacher buy-in. Importantly, these findings identified “organisational readiness”, a foundational principle of the ACE model, as a fundamental requisite to effective school improvement.

Review of manufacturers'recommendations on technological capabilities of ejectable excavator vibroplates assessment during soil compaction

Introduction. Add-on compactors for excavators (ACE hereinafter) are replaceable working equipment for excavators. They are used for soil compaction after the backfill of trenches, wells, foundation cavities and other “narrow spaces” of construction, as well as soil compaction at slopes of embankments and excavations.In practical use of ACE, builders face two challenges:to justify the choice of an ACE for soil compaction under given conditions determined by the soil type and moisture, layer thickness, and the required compaction factor; to determine the time required to compact soil with an ACE at a single point positional compaction to ensure the required compaction factor of a given type of soil in a layer of required thickness.The problems above require the information regarding technological capabilities of ACEs in different technological situations of soil compaction. The assessment of such technological capabilities of ACEs, at the same time, should take into account the ongoing transition to a new regulatory framework in Russia in the field of assessment indicators for the results of soil compaction in construction.Materials and methods. ACE technological capabilities review was conducted based on the information provided on the official websites of the largest Russian and foreign ACE manufacturers and suppliers.Conclusion. The analysis of information provided by ACE manufacturers and suppliers showed that most of that information is technical specifications of ACEs and excavators. There is almost no information on technological capabilities of ACEs. At the same time, ACE manufacturers and suppliers use ambiguous terminology (for example, “compaction volume”) in the assessment of technological capabilities.Practical value. Lack of information on technological capabilities of ACEs in various technological situations of soil compaction leads to errors in selection of an ACE model and its operation time during single point positional soil compaction, which increases the risk of under compaction and reduced service life of constructed objects. To solve this problem, the Construction and Road-Building Machinery Department of Yaroslavl State Technical University is developing a methodology for calculating the results of soil compaction with an ACE in different technological situations.