Comment on the Possibility of a Geometric Constraint in the Schroedinger Quantum Mechanics

It is shown that the geometric constraint advocated in [R. S. Kaushal, Mod. Phys. Lett. A 15 (2000) 1391] is trivially satisfied. Therefore, such a constraint does not exist. We also point out another flaw in Kaushal's paper.Comment: to appear in Mod. Phys. Lett.

Interview with Kazim Ali

Kazim Ali is the author of several volumes of poetry, including Sky Ward, winner of the Ohioana Book Award in Poetry; The Far Mosque, winner of Alice James Books’ New England/New York Award; The Fortieth Day; All One’s Blue; and the cross-genre text Bright Felon. His novels include The Secret Room: A String Quartet, and among his books of essays is Fasting for Ramadan: Notes from a Spiritual Practice. Ali is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing and Comparative Literature at Oberlin College. His new book of poems, Inquisition, and a new hybrid memoir, Silver Road: Essays, Maps & Calligraphies, are scheduled for release in 2018. During his visit to Butler University as part of the Vivian S. Delbrook Visiting Writers Series, Ali took the time to speak with Manuscripts staff member Matt Del Busto

Interview with Ali Eteraz

Ali Eteraz is the author of the debut novel Native Believer, a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice selection. He is also the author of the critically acclaimed memoir Children of Dust, which was selected as a New Statesman Book of the Year, won the Nautilus Book Award Gold, and was long-listed for the Asian American Writers Workshop Award. Previously, he wrote the short story collection Falsipedies and Fibsiennes. Other short stories have appeared in The Adirondack Review, storySouth, Chicago Quarterly Review, and Forge Journal. Eteraz is an accomplished essayist and has been spotlighted by Time Magazine and Pageturner, the literary blog of The New Yorker. During his visit to Butler University as part of the Vivian S. Delbrook Visiting Writers Series, Eteraz took the time to speak with Manuscripts staff member Elena DeCook

Mapping immaterial flows : how consumption invisibilizes labor : the satellite and shipping container

The kiosk system went down and everyone missed their flight. I had this experience recently at Chicago O’Hare International airport when I was flying to Austin. It affirmed the importance of understanding networks and how their working (or in this case, the lack thereof) immobilizes goods and people. Usually, when you check in for a flight, there is a kiosk, a station where you can print out your ticket, bag tags, and receipt. This automation of airline customers and their luggage is routine and due to its speed, allows a lot more people to obtain services. A standard of speed and ease of access is therefore coupled and expected. When this automation is no longer available, people lose their shit or more elegantly stated, the artifice of entitlement becomes gruesomely apparent. I understand everyone has a place to go and we won’t get their soon enough. However, the system is down and the airline workers are doing their best. Of course, once the network is back in place, the kiosks will resume operation and yes, they will arrange a later flight. But in a global economy where networked spaces are equated solely to make money at an expedient pace, how do we get people to understand other ways to respond to a malfunction? The common assumption is that systems are supposed to be perfect and a glitch or a malfunction is an exception, however it is quite the reverse. What if networks weren’t based on dualism? The binary being either: an all digital internet of everything kind of space or a cyberpunk infused reversion to the analog. Instead, what should be thought of and put into place is a multiplicity of network configurations such as A to Z, alif to bari yay, 1 to a 1000, uno to millón. This is what I propose in my research and arts practice: how do we build multiplicity and equity in systems? Networks are not arbitrarily put into place, they have funders, users, buyers, beneficiaries, and losers involved. Therefore, they are porous flows, exchanges, and axioms, always open to change. My research lies in between histories of media, technology, and globalization. I investigate these themes through performance, sculptural installations, reading groups, and workshops that focus on the role of technology. Specifically, my practice is focused on objects that are produced from global circuits and their embedded codes, encompassing both the technological and sociological. I investigate the history of objects such as the satellites and shipping containers and make immaterial streams tangible. The specific objects of the satellite and shipping container carry information that frames notion of historic and present day globalization facilitated by technology. The sections of this text are not necessary meant to be read sequentially, there are organized like nodes. In the first node, I will examine the role of satellites in my projects, Satellites and TELL A STAR. Satellites project examines Our World, the first global transmission (1967) through a sculptural installation, video and website. This project critiques the notion of techno-utopianism, a idea that technology will resolve all inequalities plaguing humanity. Then, I will review TELL A STAR, a 3-channel installation, where I divert the history of the first American satellite, Telstar (1962) through the lens of Afrofuturism, archival research and fluidity of identity. In the second node, I will review my project, Con-tain-er, its installation and performative elements and the role of “flows” within global shipping networks. Near the ending node, the role of networks, “junk,” and the use of workshops will be examined as part of my arts practice. Demanding the creation of more inclusive and divergent networks is central to imagining fluidity. It is within reach, we need to imagine it.Studio Ar

Species Identification and Food Fraud Analysis in Commercial Fish Products Through DNA- based methods

Globalization of food supply chains has led to an increased uncertainty of the origin and safety of fish-based products. Barcoding can be used to validate the labelling of products and to trace their origin. “Fish fraud” has been discovered across the globe. Barcoding can also trace fish species as there can be human health hazards related to consumption of fish. The study evaluated the applicability of the mitochondrial genes cytochrome b (cytB), and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) for the identification of fish and processed fish product by DNA barcoding. In the study, universal primers for mitochondrial cytB were used to discriminate fish species in raw and processed forms. The barcode primers were cross tested against collected fish product. In this study DNA barcoding was employed to identify fishery product collected from market and supermarket located in Apulia region (Southern Italy). We collected and analyses 90 samples for our study. For this project different varieties of fish samples were collected from different supermarkets and of different companies. DNA was isolated from all samples and amplified by PCR; the most intense amplified product was chosen for Sanger Sequencing. After sequencing, the sequences were matched with NCBI BLAST and FISH BOL. After obtaining the results species were identified and matched with the labelling of the products. Non-compliance between the species detected and the species declared in the label was detected in 10 out of 90 (11.1) % samples. The study provides further evidence of the need for increased traceability and assessment of food products authentication. Additionally, correct species denomination and traceability may increase the standard of management of hazards related to fish and food safety as well as ensuring product authenticity, providing reliable information to consumers. Another objective of the thesis was the development of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for rapid and direct screening of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) in commercial fish products. In this study, a loop mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was developed and validated targeting the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene for fast and direct detection of Thunnus albacares, which is a valuable species of tuna. The analytical specificity was confirmed using 18 target samples (Thunnus albacares) and 18 samples of non-target fish species. The analytical sensitivity of the LAMP assay was 540 fg DNA per reaction. In addition, a simple and direct swab method without time-consuming nucleic acid extraction procedures and the necessity for cost-intensive laboratory equipment was performed that allowed LAMP detection of Thunnus albacares samples within 13 minutes. Due to its high specificity and sensitivity, the LAMP assay can be used as a rapid and on-site screening method for the identification of Thunnus albacares, potentially providing a valuable monitoring tool for food authenticity control by the authoritie

Ali Smith interviewed by Caroline Smith

Inverness-born Ali Smith’s first collection, Free Love and Other Stories (1995) was awarded Saltire Society Scottish First Book Of The Year Award. Her short stories and novels including the Man Booker Prize nominated Hotel World (2001) and 2005 winner of the Whitbread The Accidental (2004) are known for their visceral language play and dynamic shifts in view point and time scale delivered in a tightly constructed form. She often treats universal themes – love, death, guilt and illness – with a fleshy, fresh touch that surveys the commonplace and idiosyncratic alongside the monumental. She is currently working on a rewrite of a myth for Canongate’s myth series

Validity of ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes used to identify acute liver injury: a study in three European data sources

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Forns, J. [et al.]. Validity of ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes used to identify acute liver injury: a study in three European data sources. "Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety", 6 Juny 2019, vol. 28, núm. 7, p. 965-975, which has been published in final form at 10.1002/pds.4803. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving."Purpose Validating cases of acute liver injury (ALI) in health care data sources is challenging. Previous validation studies reported low positive predictive values (PPVs). Methods Case validation was undertaken in a study conducted from 2009 to 2014 assessing the risk of ALI in antidepressants users in databases in Spain (EpiChron and SIDIAP) and the Danish National Health Registers. Three ALI definitions were evaluated: primary (specific hospital discharge codes), secondary (specific and nonspecific hospital discharge codes), and tertiary (specific and nonspecific hospital and outpatient codes). The validation included review of patient profiles (EpiChron and SIDIAP) and of clinical data from medical records (EpiChron and Denmark). ALI cases were confirmed when liver enzyme values met a definition by an international working group. Results Overall PPVs (95% CIs) for the study ALI definitions were, for the primary ALI definition, 84% (60%-97%) (EpiChron), 60% (26%-88%) (SIDIAP), and 74% (60%-85%) (Denmark); for the secondary ALI definition, 65% (45%-81%) (EpiChron), 40% (19%-64%) (SIDIAP), and 70% (64%-77%) (Denmark); and for the tertiary ALI definition, 25% (18%-34%) (EpiChron), 8% (7%-9%) (SIDIAP), and 47% (42%-52%) (Denmark). The overall PPVs were higher for specific than for nonspecific codes and for hospital discharge than for outpatient codes. The nonspecific code “unspecified jaundice” had high PPVs in Denmark. Conclusions PPVs obtained apply to patients using antidepressants without preexisting liver disease or ALI risk factors. To maximize validity, studies on ALI should prioritize hospital specific discharge codes and should include hospital codes for unspecified jaundice. Case validation is required when ALI outpatient cases are considered.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft