United States Citizens Research Articles

6684 Multi-Dose BCG Vaccination for Protection Against COVID-19 Disease and Other Respiratory Infections in Subjects with Type 1 Diabetes Late in the US Pandemic

Abstract Disclosure: W. Kühtreiber: None. E. Hostetter: None. G.E. Wolfe: None. M. Vaishnaw: None. R. Goldstein: None. E. Bulczynski: None. N. Hullavarad: None. J.E. Braley: None. H. Zheng: None. D.L. Faustman: None. A Phase II clinical trial previously reported that multiple doses of the bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine, originally developed for tuberculosis prevention, could protect at-risk individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D) against COVID-19 disease and infectious diseases early in the pandemic in the United States (US) (Cell Rep Med 2022). As SARS-CoV-2 evolved, COVID-19 disease became more transmissible, but less lethal. In a new, Phase III, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, we tested whether at-risk individuals with T1D given multi-dose, intradermal BCG would be protected against COVID-19 and other infectious diseases (2:1 randomization; BCG: n=93; placebo: n=48). The trial was conducted late in the COVID-19 pandemic during sequential dominance of Beta, Gamma, Delta and Omicron variants. All participants were US citizens and were negative for prior BCG vaccination and negative for tuberculosis. Two co-primary endpoints were protection from COVID-19 disease and platform protection from all infectious diseases. From April 2021 to November 2022, Tokyo-strain BCG vaccination provided significant protection against COVID-19 disease (p=0.023) and strong platform protection against all infectious diseases (p<0.0001). Over the 19-month course of the study, commercial COVID-19 vaccines were rolled out. An observational analysis of the placebo control group (i.e., no BCG vaccination) showed that COVID-19 mRNA vaccination alone provided no protection from COVID-19 disease in the enrolled population (p=0.43). BCG vaccination efficacy against COVID-19 and infectious disease in T1D was unaffected by concurrent COVID-19 vaccinations (observational analysis). These data suggest that BCG has efficacy against a range of SARS-CoV-2 variants, in contrast to current COVID-19 vaccines, which have narrow efficacy against specific viral variants. Further, it shows that individuals with T1D represent a vulnerable population for whom BCG appears to be the only effective vaccine against COVID-19 disease and confirms that, in the US, BCG vaccination protects against infectious disease as well. Presentation: 6/3/2024

Abstract B154: Effect modification of United States residency and length of time in US on the relationship between allostatic load and cancer mortality risk in Hispanic/Latinx Americans: Insights from NHANES (1999-2019)

Abstract Allostatic load (AL) a measure of the cumulative physiological stress occurs when external stressors exceed an individual's ability to adapt, increasing the risk of chronic diseases, including cancer. In the United States (US), Hispanic/Latinx people face acculturation-related stressors like family separation, low socioeconomic status, language barriers, racism, and discrimination, which can elevate AL and cancer risk. This study aims to examine the moderating role of US citizenship status and length of time living in US on the relationship between high allostatic load and risk of cancer mortality among Hispanic/Latinx people. We performed a retrospective analysis using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999 to 2010 among 7,299 Hispanic/Latinx people linked with National Death Index with follow-up through December 31, 2019. We defined high AL as having more than three abnormal measures among the following nine biomarkers: body mass index, C-reactive protein, diastolic blood pressure, glycated hemoglobin, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, serum triglycerides, and serum creatinine (above the 75th percentile), or serum albumin (below the 25th percentile). We compared differences in participant characteristics using Rao-Scott Chi-Square tests for weighted survey data. We fit weighted Cox proportional hazards models to estimate hazard ratios and associated 95% confidence intervals of cancer death, stratified by US residence and length of time in US Among 7,299 Hispanic/Latinx people, 2,835 (33.4% weighted) had high AL, and 4,464 (66.6% weighted) had low AL. Hispanic/Latinx people with high AL were more likely to be male, aged 40-59, have a lower level of formal education (52.0% vs. 43.6%, p- value <0.001), and were more often surveyed during the 2007-2010 NHANES period (43.2% vs. 37.2%, p-value <0.001) compared to those with low AL. When considering US residency, participants with high AL were more likely to live in the US longer than 15 years (38.2% vs. 24.8%, p-value <0.001) and be US citizens (65.0% vs. 54.7%, p-value <0.001). Regarding health behaviors, participants with high AL were less likely to have been diagnosed with heart attack and less likely to have any history of smoking. We observed that among Hispanic/Latinx people, those with high AL have a 97% increased risk of dying from any cancer (HR = 1.97, 95% CI = 1.24 - 1.34) when compared to those with low AL. When stratifying by US citizenship status, among Hispanic/Latinx US citizen population those with high AL have a 2.3-times higher risk of cancer death when compared to those with low AL (HR = 2.30, 95% CI = 1.22 - 4.32). Among those who are Hispanic/Latinx non-US citizens, those with high AL have 48% increased risk of cancer death compared to those with low AL, though non-significant (HR = 1.48, 95% CI = 0.64 - 3.43). Our preliminary findings highlight that Hispanic/Latinx people with US citizenship who experience high levels of chronic stress, as measured by AL, have an increased risk of cancer mortality. Citation Format: Jessica Amezcua, Mellisa Lopez-Pentecost, Jessica Y. Islam, Marlo Vernon, Kathleen L. O'Connor, Justin X. Moore. Effect modification of United States residency and length of time in US on the relationship between allostatic load and cancer mortality risk in Hispanic/Latinx Americans: Insights from NHANES (1999-2019) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 17th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2024 Sep 21-24; Los Angeles, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2024;33(9 Suppl):Abstract nr B154.

Education of U.S. primary care physicians at the Latin American medical school in Cuba

Background: Growing global health disparities have led to an international call for reform in physician education to meet the need for more responsive providers, emphasizing social accountability, with its four main criteria being relevance, quality, cost-effectiveness, and equity. In contrast to traditional models, Cuba’s Latin American Medical School (la Escuela Latinoamericana de Medicina, ELAM) promotes primary healthcare for disadvantaged populations by providing free medical education to foreign students from low-income communities, including United States (U.S.) citizens. This study examines the processes and standards by which the Latin American Medical School provides socially accountable education, with an emphasis on current and former students from the U.S. The objective of this study is to assess the efforts of ELAM to educate medical students in socially accountable and ethical ways. Methods: Guided by the four abovementioned criteria of social accountability, we thematically analyzed survey comments from 56 past U.S. graduates of the ELAM and interviews with four current U.S. students and eight instructors. Results: Relevance of the ELAM´s training was reflected in the integration of public health practices (e.g., community assessments) and medical care relevant to local and international health concerns. Quality is manifested in the school’s promotion of evidence-based care through tailored academic content for the U.S. students, expanded educational facilities throughout Cuba, and extensive clinical experiences. ELAM exhibits cost-effectiveness via free education and other financial assistance. Promoting equity in healthcare is evident in students’ desire to care for underserved populations with whom they identify. Graduates, current students, and instructors demonstrate that educating physicians from marginalized communities helps to answer the call for social accountability; this was supported by the educational processes and achieved outcomes. Discussion: These findings indicate that the Latin American Medical School’s mission and core activities meet the WHO’s criteria for social accountability and advance current understanding of such programs.

Synthetic datasets for open software development in rare disease research

BackgroundGlobally, researchers are working on projects aiming to enhance the availability of data for rare disease research. While data sharing remains critical, developing suitable methods is challenging due to the specific sensitivity and uniqueness of rare disease data. This creates a dilemma, as there is a lack of both methods and necessary data to create appropriate approaches initially. This work contributes to bridging this gap by providing synthetic datasets that can form the foundation for such developments.MethodsUsing a hierarchical data generation approach parameterised with publicly available statistics, we generated datasets reflecting a random sample of rare disease patients from the United States (US) population. General demographics were obtained from the US Census Bureau, while information on disease prevalence, initial diagnosis, survival rates as well as race and sex ratios were obtained from the information provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the scientific literature. The software, which we have named SynthMD, was implemented in Python as open source using libraries such as Faker for generating individual data points.ResultsWe generated three datasets focusing on three specific rare diseases with broad impact on US citizens, as well as differences in affected genders and racial groups: Sickle Cell Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. We present the statistics used to generate the datasets and study the statistical properties of output data. The datasets, as well as the code used to generate them, are available as Open Data and Open Source Software.ConclusionThe results of our work can serve as a starting point for researchers and developers working on methods and platforms that aim to improve the availability of rare disease data. Potential applications include using the datasets for testing purposes during the implementation of information systems or tailored privacy-enhancing technologies.

Smartphones and video as security articulation infrastructures: evidencing Black Lives Matter

Abstract Smartphone videos can co-constitute security reality. As smartphones spread in the 2010s, videos of deadly police violence against Black United States citizens became common, and over time these videos co-constituted anti-Black police violence as a security issue, which found its expression as Black Lives Matter (BLM). This article questions the role that smartphones and video play for BLM, and argues that security theory needs a better grasp of security articulation. Mapping the mediation of BLM's first decade, the article documents that smartphones are security articulation infrastructures as bystanders routinely rely on smartphone video to articulate security. The epistemic authority of video enables BLM videos to act as infrastructural gateways connecting established mass media to new vernacular media. Video mediation denies recognized figures of authority interpretive monopoly and enables non-elites to participate in constituting security reality, creating a room for non-elite Black Americans' articulation of insecurity. The article shows that still images and videos are different in this respect, and calls for security theory to take articulation formats and infrastructures seriously. When leaving ‘communication’ to other disciplines or enacting government responses as constitutive of (visual) security, scholarship risks overlooking the epistemic racism limiting security articulation in ‘old’ mass media, and risks making security theory complicit in epistemically silencing the voices of common, marginalized and racialized people.

Cancer of the Nasal Cavity, Middle Ear and Accessory Sinuses - 15 Year Comparative Survival and Mortality Analysis by Age, Sex, Race, Stage, Grade, Cohort Entry Time-Period, Disease Duration and Topographic Primary Sites: A Systematic Review of 13,404 Cases for Diagnosis Years 2000-2017: (NCI SEER*Stat 8.3.8).

.-Sinonasal malignancies are rare, aggressive, deadly and challenging tumors to diagnose and treat. Since 2000, age-adjusted incidence rates average less than 1 case per 100,000 per year, male and female combined, in the United States. For the entire cohort, 2000-2017, overall median age-onset was 62.6 years. Carcinoma constitutes over 90% of these upper respiratory cancers and most cases are advanced, more than 72% (regional or distant stage) when the diagnosis is made. Composite mortality at 5 years was 108 excess deaths/1000/year with a mortality ratio of 558%, and 41% of deaths occurred in this time frame. As a consequence, observed median survival was approximately 6 years with 5-year cumulative observed survival (P) and relative survival rates (SR) 53% and 60%. This mortality and survival update study follows the World Health Organization International Classification of Diseases for Oncology-3rd Edition (ICD-O-3)1 topographical identification, coding, labeling and listing of 13,404 patient-cases accessible for analysis in the United States National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results program (NCI SEER Research Data, 18 Registries), 2000-2017 located in 8 primary anatomical sites: C30.0-Nasal cavity, C30.1-Middle ear, C31.0-Maxillary sinus, C31.1-Ethmoid sinus, C31.2-Frontal sinus, C31.3-Sphenoid sinus, C31.8-Overlapping lesion of accessory sinuses, C31.9-Accessory sinus, NOS. .-1) Utilize national population-based SEER registry data for 2000-2017 to update cancer survival and mortality outcomes for 8 ICD-O-3 topographically coded sinonasal primary sites. 2) Discern similarities and contrasts in NCI-SEER case characteristics. 3) Identify current risk pattern outcomes and shifts in United States citizens, 2000-2017. .-SEER Research Data, 18 Registries, Nov 2019 Sub (2000-2017)2,3 are used to examine the risk consequences of 13,404 patients diagnosed with sinonasal malignancies, 2000-2017, in this retrospective population-based study employing prognostic data stratified by topography, age, sex, race, stage, grade, 2 cohort entry time-periods (2000-06 & 2007-17), and disease-duration to 15 years. General methods and standard double decrement life table methodologies for displaying and converting SEER site-specific annual survival and mortality data to aggregate average annual data units in durational intervals of 0-1, 0-2, 1-2, 2-5, 0-5, 5-10, and 10-15 years are employed. The reader is referred to the "Registrar Staging Assistant (SEER*RSA)" for local-regional-distant Extent of Disease (EOD) sources used in the development of staging descriptions for the Nasal Cavity and Paranasal Sinuses (maxillary and ethmoid sinuses only) and Summary Stage 2018 Coding Manual v2.0 released September 1, 2020. Cancer staging & grading procedural explanations, statistical significance & 95% confidence levels4 are described in previous Journal of Insurance Medicine articles5,6 and other publications.7,8 Poisson confidence intervals at the 95% level based on the number of observed deaths are used in this study but not displayed here to conserve space on the mortality tables. Excluded were all death certificate only and those alive with no survival time. .-In the SEER 18 registries, a total of 13,404 patient cases (2000-2017) were available for analysis with an incidence of less than one patient per 100,000 people. From this group, analysis for survival and mortality totaled 10,624 patients. Males comprised 59.3% of cases and females 40.7%. Whites represented 80.3% of cases and black, others & unknown patients comprised 19.7%. The most common anatomic site of malignancy was the nasal cavity (49.7%); least common was the frontal sinus (1.2%). From diagnosis, across the span of 8 primary sites, first-year mortality rates q ranged from 14.3% (C30.0-nasal cavity) to 30.2% (C31.8-overlapping sinus) with corresponding excess death rates (EDR) of 118/1000/year and 279/1000/year. For single sites, the 5-year cumulative survival ratio (SR) was highest for the nasal cavity (69.5%) and lowest for overlapping lesions of the accessory sinuses (47.2%) with EDRs of 76 and 169 per 1000 per year respectively Overall, 5-year relative survival (SR) for all sinonasal tract malignancies combined was 60.3%, excess mortality (EDR) 108 per 1000 per year and mortality ratio 558%. .-The 8 sinonasal cancer primary sites are characterized by a low percentage of cases in the localized stage (28%). Since excess mortality is high even in the localized stage, overall prognosis is very poor for all patients. Excess mortality persists in cancer of the sinonasal tract as long as 10-15 years after diagnosis and treatment. EDR in the 15-year durational-interval, all sinonasal sites combined remained significant at 27.6 per 1000 per year with continuing decrease in cumulative survival ratio (SR) to 43.9%.

Learning about successfully implemented sustainability policies abroad increases support for sustainable domestic policies

Anthropogenic climate change poses an existential threat to life on Earth, hastening the need to generate support for sustainability policies. Four preregistered studies (total N = 2524) tested whether informing United States citizens about the successful implementation of sustainability policies abroad increased support for similar domestic policies. Studies 1 and 2 found that learning about the successful implementation of sustainability policies (reducing automobile use, using wind energy) abroad increased (1) support for similar domestic policies, (2) intentions to modify behavior to facilitate the adoption of sustainability policies, and (3) behavioral support for sustainability policies. Study 3 found that learning about sustainability policies in both WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) (France) and non-WEIRD (Colombia) countries increased support for similar domestic policies. Study 4 found that learning about sustainability policies abroad increased support for domestic policy proposals that would impact participants’ city of residence. Overall, these findings suggest that educating citizens about the implementation of sustainability policies abroad can bolster support for domestic policies that combat climate change.

2024 United States Elections: Air Pollution, Neurodegeneration, Neuropsychiatric, and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Who Cares?

Air pollution exposures ought to be of significant interest for the United States (US) public as health issues will play a role in the 2024 elections. Citizens are not aware of the harmful brain impact of exposures to ubiquitous anthropogenic combustion emissions and friction-derived nanoparticles, industrial nanoplastics, the growing risk of wildfires, and the smoke plumes of soot. Ample consideration of pediatric and early adulthood hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and associations with neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders in the process of setting, reviewing, and implementing standards for particulate matter (PM)2.5, ultrafine PM, and industrial nanoparticles must be of interest to US citizens.

Democrats abroad: What motivates core activists to engage in political transnationalism?

AbstractResearch into transnational political engagement of non‐resident citizens has largely focused on the Global South and less on the Global North. This article focuses on non‐resident United States citizens, or overseas Americans, asking what motivates them to become politically engaged. This article contributes insights to an insufficiently explored case. Drawing from 14 semi‐structured interviews with strongly politically engaged US citizens living abroad, this article shows that they engage in political activism for many of the same reasons as individuals from other countries, as well as ones which may be unique to the US case. Key factors include mobilising to change things at home, the role of the United States in the world, civic duty, fulfilling work and reactive transnationalism. The article concludes with policy recommendations and sets the scene for future comparative research, both within the Global North and between Global North and Global South non‐resident citizen groups.

United States Healthcare System

United States Healthcare System

Virology-the path forward.

In the United States (US), biosafety and biosecurity oversight of research on viruses is being reappraised. Safety in virology research is paramount and oversight frameworks should be reviewed periodically. Changes should be made with care, however, to avoid impeding science that is essential for rapidly reducing and responding to pandemic threats as well as addressing more common challenges caused by infectious diseases. Decades of research uniquely positioned the US to be able to respond to the COVID-19 crisis with astounding speed, delivering life-saving vaccines within a year of identifying the virus. We should embolden and empower this strength, which is a vital part of protecting the health, economy, and security of US citizens. Herein, we offer our perspectives on priorities for revised rules governing virology research in the US.

#blacklivesmatter in the WWE: professional wrestlers negotiating kayfabe and authentic rhetoric through online political engagement

ABSTRACT In traditional professional wrestling, kayfabe involves the performance of fictional characters and matches as authentic. Such performances may involve a presentation of self that does not reflect a wrestler’s beliefs and identity, but circumstances may compel such celebrities to act in accordance with their authentic self. This article explores the circumstances involving the Black Lives Matter (#BLM) protests after the murder of George Floyd in 2020. This context is used to consider how professional wrestlers negotiate their presentation of self on social media. Various World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Superstars’ Twitter accounts during this period contained tweets in support of #BLM, along with content promoting their upcoming shows. This article’s analysis attempts to understand the wrestlers’ rhetoric of authenticity versus their rhetoric of kayfabe as they, like other United States citizens, wrestled with the social, cultural, political and personal ramifications of this event. While various aspects of the tweets suggest an authentic presentation in response to the circumstances, the extent to which these Superstars are just performing in accordance with the WWE’s brand remains a possibility, suggesting an extension of the kayfabe concept.

The Ultimate Metaverse Match: An Analysis of First Amendment Protections and Unauthorized Trademark Use in Non-Fungible Tokens

The First Amendment has long provided protections for artists’ creative expression and is a fundamental right for all United States citizens. However, with the rise of a predominantly digital world, those protections begin to blur with the introduction of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Artistic creation often stems from an inspired source, and sometimes, that inspiration may come from registered intellectual property, specifically trademarks. Trademarks are everywhere we look, so it is not unusual for artists to be inspired by the logos, images, colors, figures, or symbols that are featured on billboards, magazine covers, or everyday items. When these trademarks are used in third-party artistic works, the situation often results in trademark owners gearing up to protect their marks and artists invoking their First Amendment rights to protect their creations. NFTs have become an extremely lucrative market, presenting a new route for artists to explore their creative ideas and an appealing business opportunity for luxury brands to enter into a unique space. Courts and practitioners must focus their attention on the rise of NFTs and trademark-related issues as litigation gradually increases. There has been a longstanding precedent formed by Rogers v. Grimaldi that gives courts some guidance on how to balance First Amendment protections and trademark rights, but with the introduction of NFTs, circuit courts are interpreting and applying the Rogers test in various ways resulting in inconsistent outcomes. This calls for another look at the Rogers test and a reconsideration of its design to balance First Amendment and trademark interests. This Article examines the nuances of First Amendment and trademark law to determine the effectiveness of the traditional Rogers test. This Article concludes that while courts have applied Rogers in unique ways, the emergence of NFTs requires a uniform approach that can only be accomplished by reconsidering Rogers’s application to the digital world. This Article encourages courts to include a more fact-intensive analysis in Rogers cases so fact finders can distinguish between expressive artistic works and ordinary consumer products while discerning the works’ true motives.

Exploring the digital divide among immigrant older adults in the United States

AbstractBackgroundThe COVID‐19 pandemic has expedited the adoption of digital technology worldwide. Internet use has now become a part of the everyday life for the majority of the United States (US) citizens with over 90% of Americans having access to the internet. Nevertheless, the COVID‐19 pandemic shed a light on an issue of digital equity: the digital divide.MethodData for this analysis came from an ongoing, 5‐year multi‐site clinical trial involving community‐dwelling Korean immigrant older adults (65+ years) in the US. Korean older adults represents one of the fastest growing, yet some of the most vulnerable groups in the US due to their limited English proficiency. The primary goal of the trial is to test a community health worker‐led intervention program called PLAN—Preparing health aging through Dementia literacy And Navigation—designed to promote linkage to dementia care among Korean older adults with probable dementia. Potential participants go through cognitive screening using Mini‐Mental State Exam (MMSE) either in‐person or via Zoom to confirm eligibility. Using eligibility screening data, we investigated if mode of MMSE differed by key sociodemographic characteristics such as age, gender, years of education, and ethnic church attendance and cognitive status.ResultA total of 1,908 Korean older adults were included in the analysis. Nearly two‐thirds (64%) of those who completed MMSE did so in‐person. Logistic regression analysis revealed that age, years of education, and regular church attendance were significantly associated with the either mode of MMSE screening. Specifically, 1‐year increase in age and ethnic church attendance were associated with 5.5% and 1.8 times higher odds of using the in‐person mode (odds ratios = 1.055, p<0.001 and 1.801, p = 0.002, respectively), whereas 1‐year increase in education was associated with 10.9% lower odds of using the in‐person mode (odds ratio = 0.891, p<0.001). Gender and cognitive status were not found significant.ConclusionWith increasingly intertwined digital and social exclusion in our societies, the findings suggest that Korean immigrant older adults with lower education stay behind in adopting digital technologies such as Zoom. Future research should address ways in which digital literacy can be improved in the vulnerable population.

The Potential Pro-Environmental Behavior Spillover Effects of Specialization in Environmentally Responsible Outdoor Recreation

Outdoor recreationists represent a key population to educate for pro-environmental behavior (PEB). Given that previous research has found a mixed relationship between outdoor recreation and PEB, this research merges several concepts to better understand the social psychological nuances of this relationship. Specifically, this study explores how specialization regarding environmentally responsible outdoor recreation is related to other PEBs through a behavioral spillover framework. A correlational structural equation model was utilized to test this framework within a merged population of individuals from the Leave No Trace organization and general United States citizens. The results suggested that traditional behavioral spillover dynamics held for private PEBs but not public PEBs. However, recreation specialization was significantly related to both PEB types. These results suggest that the current behavioral spillover theory may only explain the relationship between some PEBs. Furthermore, environmentally responsible outdoor recreation specialization may be a promising pathway toward a spillover into encouraging private and public PEBs.

SECURITIZATION OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ON THE SOUTH BORDER OF THE UNITED STATES BY PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: FOREIGN POLICY CHANGES

The United States is a country that implements a free and most open immigration foreign policy in the world as evidenced by the acceptance of hundreds of thousands of regional and international immigrants each year. The government that is given the responsibility to lead the country will give priority to immigration issues to be formulated in foreign policy. In the era of President Donald Trump, the issue of immigrants was focused on solving the problem of illegal immigrants at the Southern border with an America First approach and securitization measures. This research will focus on the factors that became the basis for President Donald Trump's consideration of securitization in order to change United States immigration policies, using the framework of The Politics of Foreign Policy Change, namely the identification of global and domestic conditions with political and economic elements as factors that underlying changes in a country's foreign policy. This study argues that President Trump's securitization actions in the context of changing US immigration policy are based on global political conditions, namely the presence of transnational crimes such as identity fraud, drug smuggling, and criminal acts. Global economic conditions, related to immigrants with low wages undermine the standard minimum wage for American workers. Political domestic factors are related to the fulfillment of President Trump's campaign promise to protect the homeland and people of the United States from the threat of illegal immigrants on the southern border. Domestic economic factors are related to American jobs which are occupied by illegal immigrants by falsifying their identities at companies and impacting the loss of the right to social security for United States citizens.
 
 Keywords: Foreign Policy Changes, Immigration Policy, Securitization.

“No One Has a Fundraiser for a Family in a Mental Health Crisis”: Constructing Mental Health as Bodies of Moral Worth

As United States citizens experience the rising cost of health care and the economic impact of COVID-19, they have turned toward other means of securing financial assistance. One popular strategy is the use of crowdfunding through GoFundMe (GFM). Recently, scholars have examined the mechanisms behind a “successful “ campaign. However, few scholars explore how these narratives are constructed. Using narrative inquiry, we examined the narrative structure of 83 GFM requests with the aim of understanding how people construct those seeking financial assistance for mental health as people of moral worth. Our results reveal that narratives are typically structured through the hero/heroine's story arch, often focusing on how the person has much to offer to society, is ready for change through whatever means necessary, and is only seeking requests after exhausting all other options. Such constructions may inadvertently further perpetuate stigma toward mental health needs and those who experience mental health crises.

The US Immigration Courts, Dumping Ground for the Nation’s Systemic Immigration Failures: The Causes, Composition, and Politically Difficult Solutions to the Court Backlog

The US immigration court system seeks to “fairly, expeditiously, and uniformly administer and interpret US immigration laws” (DOJ 2022a). It represents the first exposure of many immigrants to due process and the rule of law in the United States, and occupies an integral role in the larger US immigration system. Yet it labors under a massive backlog of pending cases that undermines its core goals and objectives. The backlog reached 1.87 million cases in the first quarter of FY 2023 (Straut-Eppsteiner 2023, 6). This paper attributes the backlog to systemic failures in the broader immigration system that negatively affect the immigration courts, such as: Visa backlogs, United States Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) application processing delays, and other bottlenecks in legal immigration processes. The immense disparity in funding between the court system and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies that feed cases into the courts. The failure of Congress to pass broad immigration reform legislation that could ease pressure on the enforcement and court systems. The lack of standard judicial authorities vested in Immigration Judges (IJs), limiting their ability to close cases; pressure parties to “settle” cases; and manage their dockets. The absence of a statute of limitations for civil immigration offenses. Past DHS failures to establish and adhere to enforcement priorities and to exercise prosecutorial discretion (PD) throughout the removal adjudication process, including in initial decisions to prosecute. The location of the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), which oversees US immigration courts, within the nation’s preeminent law enforcement agency, the Department of Justice (DOJ). The misconception of many policymakers that the court system should primarily serve as an adjunct to DHS. A past record of temporary judge reassignments and government shutdowns. The paper supports a well-resourced and independent immigration court system devoted to producing the right decisions under the law. Following a short introduction, a long section on “Causes and Solutions to the Backlog” examines the multi-faceted causes of the backlog, and offers an integrated, wide-ranging set of recommendations to reverse and ultimately eliminate the backlog. The “Conclusion” summarizes the paper’s topline findings and policy proposals.

From primary to presidency: Fake news, false memory, and changing attitudes in the 2016 election

During a contentious primary campaign, people may argue passionately against a candidate they later support during the general election. How do people reconcile such potentially conflicting attitudes? This study followed 602 United States citizens, recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk, at three points throughout the 2016 presidential election investigating how attitudes and preferences changed over time and how people remembered their past feelings. Across political parties, people’s memory for their past attitudes was strongly influenced by their present attitudes; more specifically, those who had changed their opinion of a candidate remembered their past attitudes as being more like their current attitudes than they actually were. Participants were also susceptible to remembering false news events about both presidential candidates. However, they were largely unaware of their memory biases and rejected the possibility that they may have been susceptible to them. Not remembering their prior attitude may facilitate support of a previously disliked candidate and foster loyalty towards a party nominee during a time of disunity by forgetting they ever used to dislike the candidate.

Sunscreen use amongst US adults: a national survey.

One in five Americans will develop skin cancer before the age of 70. Consistent sunscreen use can help decrease the prevalence of this. This study assesses the general knowledge of United States citizens on sunscreen use, frequency of usage, common behaviors of sunscreen usage, and use of sunscreen based on knowledge of sun protection. We created a 14-question anonymous web-based survey that was distributed amongst a third-party polling service. The polling service conducted random recruitment of participants based on inclusion criteria. Results from 200 participants were then analyzed using JMP Pro 16 for the Mac [11]. Fishers two tailed exact test was used along with Wilcoxon's rank- sum test. The results of the survey found that 11% of the participants report not wearing sunscreen at all, 13.5% wear sunscreen daily, the most common reason for sunscreen use was avoidance of sunburns (50%, n = 100), most people learn about the importance of sunscreen from their parents/family members (46.5%, n = 93), and 66.5% of the participants feel that sunscreen education should be included in schools (n = 133). Furthermore, the participants in the lowest income bracket were less likely to apply sunscreen. In conclusion, our survey found that most US residents are aware about sunscreen's role in protection from UV rays, however, most citizens continue to use it inconsistently.