Correctional Settings Research Articles

Shifting the practice of coercive penal care over time in a problem-solving court

While problem-solving courts represent one area in which rehabilitative efforts have expanded within correctional settings as “coercive penal care,” still unexplored is how the blend of rehabilitative and punitive practices might evolve over time. By conducting interviews and observing a new reentry court, we explore how the court's navigation of coercive penal care transforms over time. We argue that initially, the introduction of rehabilitative goals was mostly subverted by the court's existing punitive criminal legal system and organizational structure. This occurred through court actors prioritizing internal over external goals and metrics in the program, and articulating self-responsibilization narratives for success. As the court progressed, court actors shifted toward emphasizing individualism. Increased individualism occurred in recognition of the complex barriers that participants faced, but presented a double-edged sword: actors focused more on the individual needs of participants beyond program requirements, but also increased individual accountability by participants. This greater emphasis on individualization also allowed court actors to resolve sometimes competing rehabilitative and punitive goals through increased discretion.

Body-Worn Cameras in a Correctional Setting: Assessing Jail Deputy Attitudes Before, During, and After Implementation

Body-worn cameras (BWC) have become ubiquitous in law enforcement but are nascent in correctional settings. There is little research on the attitudes of the corrections personnel expected to wear these devices, even though their buy-in is critical for successful implementation. We address this gap by examining the perceptions of deputies from the Loudoun County, Virginia Adult Detention Center (LCADC) who participated in a 12-month BWC pilot program. We survey LCADC deputies at three periods (pre-, mid-, and post-implementation) and analyze mean changes in their perceptions of BWCs and staff-resident relationships. We find that LCADC deputies were neutral or did not agree that BWCs would improve efficiency and accuracy, have a civilizing effect on incarcerated residents, or lead to work-related disruptions. These attitudes remain largely consistent across the three survey periods. We also find that deputies had more negative perceptions of their relationships with residents at both the mid- and post-implementation periods, compared to the pre-implementation period. The results suggest that, when developing a BWC program, corrections officials should involve front-line personnel early in the planning process. Officials should also ensure policies are tailored to the unique needs of their correctional agency, rather than merely adapting policies created for law enforcement.

Numeric Prediction of the Detail Visibility in Industrial X-Ray Computed Tomography by Human Observers

Industrial Computed Tomography (iCT) is applied in industry for flaw detection, flaw evaluation and dimensional measurement. This requires the correct experimental system settings for sufficient visibility and detectability of details and structure elements. This is an essential tool for long term monitoring of the detail sensitivity of CT scanners. The visibility of indications by human observers on a monitor in cross sectional 2D CT-images can be estimated from the square root of the visible flaw area, the Contrast to Noise Ratio (CNR) and the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF). The ASTM guide E 1441 describes a more detailed procedure for the determination of the minimum contrast for the visibility of flaws based on three essential functions for the prediction of the visibility of small circular indications in iCT slice images. This is the Contrast Discrimination Function (CDF), the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) as described in the latest revision of ASTM E 1695, and the Contrast Detail Diagram (CDD). All these functions analyse the contrast as function of the spatial frequency in digital 2D slice images. The functions do not describe, how to calculate the visibility limit for human observers. The concept for the automated calculation of the visibility limit of circular indications in reconstructed slice images is discussed in this paper. It is finally determined from the intersection point of the MTF with the Contrast Detail Diagram, which is the combination of CDF and MTF, and a physiological factor c. The new measurement procedures for the prediction of the detail visibility by MTF and CDD was tested with test phantoms and be verified by modelling and measurements. A Round Robin test was conducted with more than 10 parties to verify the visibility formula and the procedure for determination of the visibility limit from the combination of these functions. A form factor is considered to compare cylinder holes with pore indications. Conclusions will be reported and recommendations will be given for the determination of the correct physiological factor c.

Analysis of Meta-Heuristic Feature Selection Techniques on classifier performance with specific reference to psychiatric disorder

Optimization plays an important role in solving complex computational problems. Meta-Heuristic approaches work as an optimization technique. In any search space, these approaches play an excellent role in local as well as global search. Nature-inspired approaches, especially population-based ones, play a role in solving the problem. In the past decade, many nature-inspired population-based methods have been explored by researchers to facilitate computational intelligence. These methods are based on insects, birds, animals, sea creatures, etc. This research focuses on the use of Meta-Heuristic methods for the feature selection. A better optimization approach must be introduced to reduce the computational load, depending on the problem size and complexity. The correct feature set must be chosen for the diagnostic system to operate effectively. Here, population-based Meta-Heuristic optimization strategies have been used to pick the features. By choosing the best feature set, the Butterfly Optimization Algorithm (BOA) with the Enhanced Lion Optimization Algorithm (ELOA) approach would reduce classifier overhead. The results clearly demonstrate that the combined strategy has higher performance outcomes when compared to other optimization strategies.

Incarcerated in a Pandemic: How COVID-19 Exacerbated the “Pains of Imprisonment”

Although the exact toll of COVID-19 in U.S. prisons and jails is relatively undetermined, estimates show that deaths due to the virus in the nation's correctional facilities are approximately six times higher than deaths in the general population. During the pandemic, jail and prison structures as well as significant overcrowding made it virtually impossible to institute protective measures against infection in correctional settings. Jail and prison administrators suspended in-person visitation, leaving those incarcerated even further isolated, and their friends and family in fear for the health and safety of their loved ones. The present study examines narratives of individuals who spoke about their experiences while incarcerated during the pandemic. The data for the study were gathered from prison reform advocacy organizations that featured individuals’ stories. The narrative findings provide insight into the traumatic experiences that incarcerated people endured, how institutional failures exacerbated their mistrust of the criminal legal system, and their efforts to cope.

A Prospective Study of Injection Drug Use and Jail Readmission in Two Western North Carolina Counties.

Injection drug use among people admitted to rural jails has significant implications for both infectious disease transmission and incarceration patterns. This study examines the relationship between injection drug use, jail readmission, and detention duration to inform interventions designed specifically for this understudied correctional setting. The Comprehensive Addiction and Psychological Evaluation-5 (CAAPE-5) was administered to a random sample of adults admitted to two county detention centers in Western North Carolina. Data regarding readmission and the length of detention were obtained for the 12-month study period. Participants included 420 adults, aged 18-66 years. Nearly three-quarters (70.9%) met criteria for at least one substance use disorder (SUD) and almost half (45.7%) met criteria for multiple SUDs. Approximately half (45.2%) reported injecting drugs, with the majority (71.6%) reporting injecting methamphetamine, followed by 51.1% who injected opioids. People who injected drugs were 1.83 times more likely (95% CI = 1.17-2.87) than those who did not inject to be admitted on multiple occasions and also spent a significantly longer amount of time detained (IRR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.02-1.77) during the 12-month follow-up period. The study was limited to jails in two counties and injection-related factors may vary from other facilities. The association between drug injection and longer detention periods presents an opportunity to engage people with infectious disease screening and substance use services in jails. Connection to stable primary and behavioral health care after release is a high priority in enhancing community health.

To Be Involved or Not to Be Involved: Testing Prison Staff Job Involvement Using the Job Demands–Job Resources Model

In this study, data were used from 322 employees at a large medium- and maximum-security prison in the Southern United States to examine the influence of job demands (dangerousness of the job, role overload, role ambiguity) and job resources (employee input into decision-making, instrumental communication, job variety) on employee job involvement. We also controlled for demographic characteristics (gender, age, position, tenure, and educational attainment). Drawing on the job demands–job resources model, four separate equations were estimated to assess the influence of job demands and job resources both separately and jointly. Overall, job resources (specifically, employee input into decision-making and job variety) have a stronger influence on job involvement than do job demands. The findings indicate that to boost employee job involvement in correctional settings, employers must implement policies and practices that facilitate the sharing of job resources in the work environment. Implications for policy and future research are also discussed.

Statistical ensembles and logarithmic corrections to black hole entropy

In this paper, we consider general statistical ensembles and compute logarithmic corrections to the microcanonical entropy resulting due to thermodynamic fluctuations which are controlled by the boundary conditions, i.e. due to choice of ensemble. The framework is applied to the case of non-extremal black holes to give certain logarithmic corrections to the Bekenstein–Hawking entropy. We argue that within the framework of black hole chemistry, where the cosmological constant is identified with bulk pressure, the isoenthalpic-isobaric entropy rather than microcanonical entropy carries a more natural and consistent thermodynamic interpretation as black hole entropy. Logarithmic corrections to both microcanonical and isoenthalpic-isobaric entropies of black holes are computed, and we show that the latter set of corrections in black hole chemistry are of the same form as corrections to the microcanonical entropy in theories where the cosmological constant is not interpreted as a thermodynamic pressure. Finally, we compute logarithmic corrections to entropy in the framework of holographic black hole chemistry. We emphasize upon the choice of statistical ensemble, both in the bulk and on the boundary, in order to have a consistent comparison between them. The corrections studied in this paper are distinct from those obtained from Euclidean quantum gravity.

A determination method for clenbuterol residue in pork based on optimal particle size gold colloid using SERS

Clenbuterol is often used as a feed additive to increase the percentage of lean meat in livestock. Meat containing clenbuterol can cause many illnesses and even death for people. In this paper, the particle growth method was used to prepare gold colloids of different sizes, and the enhanced effectiveness of gold colloids of different sizes on clenbuterol in pork was investigated. The results showed that the gold colloid with the best enhanced effectiveness for clenbuterol had a particle size of approximately 90 nm. Second, a sample collection component was designed to detect clenbuterol from bottom to top, solving the problem of poor reproducibility of Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection caused by different droplet sizes and shapes. Then, the influence of different volumes of samples and concentrations of aggregating compounds on the enhanced effectiveness was optimized. The results showed that, based on the sample collection components designed in this article, 5 µL of enhanced substrate, 7.5 µL of clenbuterol and 3 µL of 1 mol/L mixed detection of NaCl solution had the best enhanced performance. Finally, 88 pork samples (0.5, 1, 1.5,…, 10, 12, 14 µg/g) with different concentrations were divided into correction sets and prediction sets in a ratio of 3:1. Unary linear regression models were established between the concentration of clenbuterol residue in the pork and the intensity of the bands at 390, 648, 1259, 1472, and 1601 cm−1. The results showed that the unary linear regression models at 390, 648, and 1259 cm−1 had lower root mean square errors than those at 1472 and 1601 cm−1. The intensity of the three bands and the concentration of clenbuterol residue in the pork were selected to establish a multiple linear regression model, and the concentration of clenbuterol residue in the pork was predicted. The results showed that the determination coefficients (R2) of the correction set and the prediction set were 0.99 and 0.99, respectively. The root mean square errors (RMSE) of the correction set and the prediction set were 0.169 and 0.184, respectively. The detection limit of clenbuterol in pork by this method is 42 ng/g, which can realize the crude screening of pork containing clenbuterol in the market.

Locksynth: Deriving Synchronization Code for Concurrent Data Structures with ASP

AbstractWe present Locksynth, a tool that automatically derives synchronization needed for destructive updates to concurrent data structures that involve a constant number of shared heap memory write operations. Locksynth serves as the implementation of our prior work on deriving abstract synchronization code. Designing concurrent data structures involves inferring correct synchronization code starting with a prior understanding of the sequential data structure’s operations. Further, an understanding of shared memory model and the synchronization primitives is also required. The reasoning involved transforming a sequential data structure into its concurrent version can be performed using Answer Set Programming, and we mechanized our approach in previous work. The reasoning involves deduction and abduction that can be succinctly modeled in ASP. We assume that the abstract sequential code of the data structure’s operations is provided, alongside axioms that describe concurrent behavior. This information is used to automatically derive concurrent code for that data structure, such as dictionary operations for linked lists and binary search trees that involve a constant number of destructive update operations. We also are able to infer the correct set of locks (but not code synthesis) for external height-balanced binary search trees that involve left/right tree rotations. Locksynth performs the analyses required to infer correct sets of locks and as a final step, also derives the C++ synchronization code for the synthesized data structures. We also provide a performance analysis of the C++ code synthesized by Locksynth with the hand-crafted versions available from the Synchrobench microbenchmark suite. To the best of our knowledge, our tool is the first to employ ASP as a backend reasoner to perform concurrent data structure synthesis.

A meta-analysis of the effect of violence intervention programs on general and violent recidivism

Individuals with convictions for violence are likely to have both violent and nonviolent subsequent reoffences. Individuals who have committed violent offences are often required to participate in violence treatment programming prior to release. The aim of this study was to examine whether violence intervention programs offered in community or institutional correctional settings are effective for reducing general and violent recidivism among individuals with previous histories of violence. In total, 21 controlled studies with data from 17,223 violent offenders (99% men) were included in the meta-analysis for general recidivism, and 19 controlled studies with data from 8,863 offenders (99% men) were included in the meta-analysis for violent recidivism. This article extends an earlier meta-analysis by Papalia et al. (Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 26(2), 1–28 [2019]) by adding seven new studies to the meta-analysis of general recidivism and five new studies to the meta-analysis of violent recidivism. The results of the meta-analysis indicate that the odds of general recidivism were 25% lower, and the odds of violent recidivism were 24% lower for individuals who participated in interventions compared with the control groups. The results of the present study are consistent with previous meta-analyses, which support the use of correctional violence treatment programs. Implications for future research are identified, considering these findings.

A Novel Error-Correcting Particle Swarm Optimization Back Propagation Fault Diagnosis Method for Microgrid

Compared to traditional power grids, microgrids have a more flexible operating mode. There are various distributed power sources within the microgrid, and different types of distributed power sources have different control methods. Once a short-circuit fault occurs in the microgrid, these characteristics will increase the difficulty of microgrid fault diagnosis and reduce the accuracy of microgrid fault diagnosis. This paper proposes an error-correcting particle swarm optimization back propagation microgrid fault diagnosis method for the diagnosis of short-circuit faults in microgrids that identifies the accuracy of alarm signals, corrects unreasonable signals, and obtains the correct fault set of the microgrid through the temporal logic relationship between each protection. Using the particle swarm optimization back propagation (PSO-BP) neural network algorithm to train fault alarm signals, fast convergence can be achieved, and accurate diagnostic results can be obtained after the sixth generation training is completed. As this fault diagnosis algorithm is applied to line protection equipment, it can be used to diagnose all types of short-circuit faults. This algorithm is easy to implement and has a small data scale, which is conducive to efficient and concise fault diagnoses in microgrids.

Was Fixing This Really That Hard? On the Complexity of Correcting HTN Domains

Automated modeling assistance is indispensable to the AI planning being deployed in practice, notably in industry and other non-academic contexts. Yet, little progress has been made that goes beyond smart interfaces like programming environments. They focus on autocompletion, but lack intelligent support for guiding the modeler. As a theoretical foundation of a first step towards this direction, we study the computational complexity of correcting a flawed Hierarchical Task Network (HTN) planning domain. Specifically, a modeler provides a (white) list of plans that are supposed to be solutions, and likewise a (black) list of plans that shall not be solutions. We investigate the complexity of finding a set of (optimal or suboptimal) model corrections so that those plans are (resp. not) solutions to the corrected model. More specifically, we factor out each hardness source that contributes towards NP-hardness, including one that we deem important for many other complexity investigations that go beyond our specific context of application. All complexities range between NP and Sigma-2-p, rising the hope for efficient practical tools in the future.

O-278 Medical and ethical perspectives of performing ovarian stimulation and oocyte cryopreservation for fertility preservation (FP) in adolescents: 5 years’ experience from a tertiary centre

Abstract Study question What are the medical and ethical challenges of performing ovarian stimulation and oocyte cryopreservation in adolescents and what are the barriers to provision? Summary answer Oocyte cryopreservation for benign and malignant indications in adolescents is associated with unique medical and ethical challenges. What is known already An improvement in childhood cancer survival, increased transgender care and benign conditions such as haemoglobinopathies requiring stem cell transplant have led to higher representation of adolescent birth-registered females in FP clinics. FP in adolescents has increased complexities, both physical (pubertal stage, diagnosis) and psychological (accepting diagnosis, processing information, decision-making). Concerns relate to reliability of AMH in adolescents, anticipated response to ovarian stimulation and oocyte quality. Counselling and consenting young people and their families about fertility decisions, often alongside receiving a life-changing diagnosis, is an ethically complex area. Assessing capacity to consent is not straightforward. We report our clinical experience. Study design, size, duration This was a retrospective, observational cohort study of 26 adolescent birth-registered females aged 13 to 18 years who underwent ovarian stimulation and oocyte cryopreservation in a specialist unit for fertility preservation between 2018 and 2022. The primary outcome was oocyte yield, secondary outcomes included complications and drop-out rate. Participants/materials, setting, methods We included post-pubertal adolescent birth-registered females aged 13 to 18 years who were referred for fertility preservation for high risk of gonadotoxicity from treatment and who commenced ovarian stimulation for oocyte cryopreservation. Data was retrieved from a prospectively managed database. We noted demographic data, ovarian reserve, method of monitoring, response to ovarian stimulation and oocyte cryopreservation and route of egg collection. Documentation on counselling conversations and psychological maturity was retrieved from clinical records. Main results and the role of chance There were a total of 29 ovarian stimulation cycles performed in 26 adolescent birth-registered females aged between 13 and 18 years. Indications for fertility preservation included malignancy 62% (16/26), immunological disorders 19% (5/26), gender reassignment treatment 8% (2/26), recurrent ovarian cyst surgery 8% (2/26) and benign haematological disease 4% (1/26). The youngest was aged 13 years and 10 months at the time of egg collection. Minimum time from menarche to ovarian stimulation was 11 months. 23% (6/26) adolescents had previously received chemotherapy. AMH was 2.8-37 pmol/L and AFC 2-36. AFC correlated well with AMH in the majority. Random-start was performed in 54% (14/26) and dual stimulation in 12% (3/26). Number of cryopreserved oocytes was 3-45 and number of MII oocytes cryopreserved 3-35. Ultrasound monitoring was performed transabdominally in 88% (23/26) and transvaginally in 12% (3/26). Egg collection was performed transvaginally in all cases in this cohort, comprising adolescents from varying ethnicities. All cycles proceeded to completion. There were no complications in any cycle, including the 42% (11/26) performed for haematological malignancy. All adolescents were counselled in association with a family member to obtain informed consent. All were assessed as able to comprehend discussions. Limitations, reasons for caution There is limited data on performing oocyte cryopreservation in adolescents. Further studies expanding on our findings are needed to support clinicians to perform oocyte cryopreservation in this population. Concerns remain regarding increased aneuploidy rates in this age group compared to women in their 20s. Livebirth outcome data is needed. Wider implications of the findings This is the largest case series to date. Post-pubertal adolescents as young as age 13 can undergo ovarian stimulation and oocyte cryopreservation. Transvaginal egg collection is an accepted procedure when counselled appropriately. Clinician experience, correct setting and funding enable a permissive environment for oocyte cryopreservation in this population. Trial registration number N/A

Study on CAT activity of tomato leaf cells under salt stress based on microhyperspectral imaging and transfer learning algorithm

Salt stress easily leads to oxidative stress and promotes the catalase (CAT) response in tomato leaves. For the changes in catalase activity in leaf subcells, there is a need for a visual in situ detection method and mechanism analysis. This paper, taking catalase in leaf subcells under salt stress as the starting point, describes the use of microscopic hyperspectral imaging technology to dynamically detect and study catalase activity from a microscopic perspective, and lay the theoretical foundation for exploring the detection limit of catalase activity under salt stress. In this study, a total of 298 microscopic images were obtained under different concentrations of salt stress (0 g/L, 1 g/L, 2 g/L, 3 g/L) in the spectral range of 400–1000 nm. With the increase in salt solution concentration and the advancement of the growth period, the CAT activity value increased. Regions of interest were extracted according to the reflectance of the samples, and the model was established by combining CAT activity. The characteristic wavelength was extracted by five methods (SPA, IVISSA, IRFJ, GAPLSR and CARS), and four models (PLSR, PCR, CNN and LSSVM) were established according to the characteristic wavelengths. The results show that the random sampling (RS) method was better for the selection samples of the correction set and prediction set. Raw wavelengths are optimized as the pretreatment method. The partial least-squares regression model based on the IRFJ method is the best, and the coefficient of correlation (Rp) and root mean square error of the prediction set (RMSEP) are 0.81 and 58.03 U/g, respectively. According to the ratio of microarea area to the area of the macroscopic tomato leaf slice, the Rp and RMSEP of the prediction model for the detection of microarea cells are 0.71 and 23.00 U/g, respectively. Finally, the optimal model was used for quantitative visualization analysis of CAT activity in tomato leaves, and the distribution of CAT activity was consistent with its color trend. The results show that it is feasible to detect the CAT activity in tomato leaves by microhyperspectral imaging combined with stoichiometry.

Mental health intervention research in Latin American correctional settings: A scoping review.

The Latin American prison population has grown faster than anywhere else globally over the past two decades, reaching a total of 1.7 million people at any given time. However, research on mental health prevention and treatment interventions in Latin American prisons remains scarce. This study aimed to systematically review and synthesize research on prison mental health interventions conducted in the region. We used a two-stage scoping review design guided by the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis. Searches took place in December 2021 in nine databases using descriptors and synonyms. First, all prison mental health research in Latin America was retained. Secondly, using title and abstract screening, all research possibly related to interventions was retained for full text evaluation. Studies reporting interventions were assessed by country, language, institution, population, intervention type, intervention focus and outcomes. N = 34 studies were included in this review. These were 13 case reports, seven expert consensus papers and 14 quantitative studies (four randomized controlled trials, nine cohort studies, one quasi-experimental study). Fourteen interventions were targeted at promoting prosocial behavior, seven studies each aimed to improve mental health and to treat substance use disorders. Six studies involved the treatment of sexual offending behavior, and 3 focused on reducing criminal recidivism. Psychoeducation (n = 12) and motivational interviewing (n = 5) were the most frequent intervention types studied. Promising data from trials showed that anger management, depression, substance use and reoffending could be successfully addressed through interventions. Implementation and effectiveness research of mental health interventions in Latin American prisons is scarce. Addressing mental health, substance use and prosocial behavior outcomes should be considered in future research. There is a particular dearth of controlled trials describing quantifiable outcomes.

Behind Walls: Mass Incarceration as an Oppressor of Reproductive Justice in the United States

The purpose of this study is to determine if and how mass incarceration denies women of color their right to reproductive justice in the United States. By analyzing the prison system’s legal framework as well as its practices, the study aims to analyze both known and unknown barriers to reproductive justice in the correctional setting. Data on such policies and practices was collected through personal interviews as well as through podcast interviews with formerly incarcerated women and a lawyer knowledgeable in prison healthcare laws within the United States. The findings from this data indicate that incarcerated women are not just denied necessary reproductive healthcare, but are essentially punished by the prison system for existing as reproductive individuals. Furthermore, this oppression disproportionately harms women of color due to the disproportionate mass incarceration of black and brown people in the United States, which stems from the criminalization of poverty and the “war on drugs” that began in the 1970s. These findings imply that there is a large group of women who have and continue to be dehumanized and threatened behind walls. Reproductive healthcare is necessary healthcare; thus, it must be prioritized in prison reform and legislature.

Multilevel synergically controlling wavefront correction of a high-power slab laser system.

We present a multilevel synergically controlling wavefront correction method that can apply in a slab laser system. To fully utilize the response frequency and the stroke of actuators of the single deformable mirror (DM), we design a set of multilevel wavefront correction devices to reduce the root-mean square of wavefront aberration before the DM. As the wavefront of slab geometry solid-state lasers mainly consists of fourth and longitudinally distributed aberration, such as 5th, 9th, and 14th orders of Legendre polynomials. We design a precompensating level of the aberration with a slow-drift mirror, fast-steer mirror, one-dimensional adjustable slab-aberration compensator, and beam-shaping system to reduce these orders of wavefront aberration with low spatial resolution and large stroke. As the controlling bandwidth of different devices is diverse, the coupling oscillation between the precompensating level and adaptive optics (AO) level occurs, then we develop the multilevel synergically control to address the coupling. With the precompensating level, the experimental result shows the residual wavefront aberration of the slab laser is compensated well by the AO level effectively within the compensating capability. We clean up a 9.8kW slab laser system with the beam quality β of far-field focus spots improved from 17.71 to 2.24 times the diffraction limit.

Counter Stories on the Meaning of Sport in the Lives of Black Youth Who Are Incarcerated

Although a significant focal point of research has been dedicated to the role of sport in the lives of youth, few articles have explored sporting experiences among incarcerated youth. Often overlooked, this population is highly disenfranchised and overrepresented by youth of color. Nonetheless, emerging research has proposed sport as an important developmental tool in the rehabilitation of juvenile offenders. Informed by critical race theory, the current study included semistructured interviews with nine incarcerated Black males, exploring the meaning of sport in their lives. Results included themes around family induction into sport, sport versus street life, sport teaching life skills, and sport as a distraction. Findings offer insight into how youth of color in the juvenile justice system conceptualize the role of sport and consequently, how sport may be harnessed for positive youth outcomes in correctional settings.

Improving the error performance of offset pulse position modulation using Reed–Solomon error correction code and low-density parity

An innovative performance study of an offset pulse-position modulation (OPPM) scheme is presented in this work with Reed–Solomon (RS) and low-density parity-checking (LDPC). The main aim is to resolve the errors of OPPM three using an RS or LDPC as a sporadic set of forward error correction (FEC). In this regard, the separate FEC has been utilized with coding that is based on multi-level, and waveform shaping based on the trellis. To systematically conduct this research, the greatest transmission efficiency that associated with the optimum RS code rates at different fiber normalization bandwidths is evaluated. Furthermore, the transmission efficiencies, channel extension, as well as the required number of photons per pulse of OPPM before and after the integration with RS or LDPC are compared. The results indicate an enhancement of mitigating the system's bit error rate and delivering more error-free data to the receiver in the occasion of applying the optimal settings of the RS or LDPC.