Native Voices Rising: A Case for Funding Native-led Change

Native American organizations face enormous challenges to their communities, their lands and environment, and their basic rights as Indigenous peoples. They face these challenges with limited support from the broad spectrum of America's philanthropic institutions. Far too many foundations simply give little to nothing at all in support of Native causes, a situation that requires corrective action designed to close the enormous gap between foundation giving and the needs of Native communities. The low level of charitable foundation funding (.3%) going to Native causes, and the need to garner more support for Native organizing and advocacy work, in particular, prompted the Common Counsel Foundation and Native Americans in Philanthropy to jointly sponsor this research project that is focused on Native organizations which undergird the following five movements: Environmental Justice, Subsistence in Alaska, Native Engagement in the Urban Context, Media and Voter Engagement. The organizations varied considerably in experience and the methods they use to pursue change. They fulfill many roles in their respective communities, such as: advocates, organizers, service providers, and community builders. A key role is that they serve as places where people can acquire knowledge and skills that enable them to assume leadership roles in the organization and in the community. Leadership development is essential to maintaining and advancing these movements. Most importantly, Native self-determination and sovereignty is reinforced through the work of these organizations. To accomplish these goals, three sets of data were compiled. First, Native organizations in the targeted movements were contacted to obtain basic information that could be used to write brief thumbnail sketches about their organizations that included mission statements, current organizing and advocacy efforts, and contact information. Second, in-depth interviews were conducted with approximately 10 organizational leaders in each of the five movements to build a deeper understanding of how the organizations pursue their organizing and advocacy agendas, and seek change in their communities. Third, case studies of ten exemplary organizations, two in each movement, were compiled to illustrate the magnitude of the work. Representatives of 501(c)3 organizations, organizations using fiscal agents, and a few tribal governments and village councils participated in the study. In total, 146 organizations responded. Representatives from 49 of these organizations gave more intensive, in-depth interviews. Thumbnail sketches of all 146 organizations, the 10 case studies, as well as contextual information about each movement are contained in the full report

Trans-Planckian physics and signature change events in Bose gas hydrodynamics

We present an example of emergent spacetime as the hydrodynamic limit of a more fundamental microscopic theory. The low-energy, long-wavelength limit in our model is dominated by collective variables that generate an effective Lorentzian metric. This system naturally exhibits a microscopic mechanism allowing us to perform controlled signature change between Lorentzian and Riemannian geometries. We calculate the number of particles produced from a finite-duration Euclidean-signature event, where we take the position that to a good approximation the dynamics is dominated by the evolution of the linearized perturbations, as suggested by Calzetta and Hu [Phys. Rev. A 68 (2003) 043625]. We adapt the ideas presented by Dray et al. [Gen. Rel. Grav. 23 (1991) 967], such that the field and its canonical momentum are continuous at the signature-change event. We investigate the interplay between the underlying microscopic structure and the emergent gravitational field, focussing on its impact on particle production in the ultraviolet regime. In general, this can be thought of as the combination of trans-Planckian physics and signature-change physics. Further we investigate the possibility of using the proposed signature change event as an amplifier for analogue "cosmological particle production" in condensed matter experiments.Comment: 18 pages, revtex

The Relationship Between Provider Competence, Content Exposure, and Consumer Outcomes in Illness Management and Recovery Programs

Provider competence may affect the impact of a practice. The current study examined this relationship in sixty-three providers engaging in Illness Management and Recovery with 236 consumers. Improving upon previous research, the present study utilized a psychometrically validated competence measure in the ratings of multiple Illness Management and Recovery sessions from community providers, and mapped outcomes onto the theory underlying the practice. Provider competence was positively associated with illness self-management and adaptive coping. Results also indicated baseline self-management skills and working alliance may affect the relationship between competence and outcomes

Incidence and survival for oropharynx and non-oropharynx head and neck cancers among veterans living with HIV

BACKGROUND: People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) have an excess risk for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) compared to the general U.S. population, but little is known about HIV-specific risk factors associated with the incidence and outcomes HNSCC. We aim to identify clinical and HIV-specific risk factors associated with oropharyngeal and non-oropharyngeal HNSCC incidence and outcomes separately. METHODS: We constructed a retrospective cohort study of 45,052 PLWH aged 18 or above from the national Veteran Affairs (VA) Corporate Data from 1999 to 2015. We extracted demographic data and risk factor information, including history of alcohol abuse, smoking, CD4 count (cells/μl), and percent of follow-up time with undetectable HIV viral load as time-updated variables. We calculated the age-standardized incidence rates of oropharyngeal and non-oropharyngeal HNSCC and estimated adjusted hazard ratios (HR). We also examined overall survival using Kaplan-Meier curves and adjusted HR. RESULTS: The standardized incidence rate of oropharyngeal and non-oropharyngeal HNSCC in this veteran cohort of PLWH is 23.0 (95% confidence intervals (CIs): 17.1-28.9) and 55.4 (95% CI: 46.5-64.3) per 100,000 person-years, respectively. Nadir CD4 count ≤200 was associated with an increased risk of non-oropharyngeal HNSCC (HR: 1.78; 95% CI: 1.31-2.30 vs \u3e200). Five-year overall survival of OPSCC (37.0%) was significantly lower than non-oropharyngeal HNSCC (49.1%). CONCLUSIONS: PLWH who receive care in the VA had higher age-adjusted HNSCC incidence rates than reported in the general population, suggesting that HIV and immunosuppression play a role. Additional studies should be conducted to study the interaction between HPV and HIV

The modern pollen-vegetation relationship of a tropical forest-savannah mosaic landscape, Ghana, West Africa

Transitions between forest and savannah vegetation types in fossil pollen records are often poorly understood due to over-production by taxa such as Poaceae and a lack of modern pollen-vegetation studies. Here, modern pollen assemblages from within a forest-savannah transition in West Africa are presented and compared, their characteristic taxa discussed, and implications for the fossil record considered. Fifteen artificial pollen traps were deployed for 1 year, to collect pollen rain from three vegetation plots within the forest-savannah transition in Ghana. High percentages of Poaceae and Melastomataceae/Combretaceae were recorded in all three plots. Erythrophleum suaveolens characterised the forest plot, Manilkara obovata the transition plot and Terminalia the savannah plot. The results indicate that Poaceae pollen influx rates provide the best representation of the forest-savannah gradient, and that a Poaceae abundance of >40% should be considered as indicative of savannah-type vegetation in the fossil record

Signature change events: A challenge for quantum gravity?

Within the framework of either Euclidian (functional-integral) quantum gravity or canonical general relativity the signature of the manifold is a priori unconstrained. Furthermore, recent developments in the emergent spacetime programme have led to a physically feasible implementation of signature change events. This suggests that it is time to revisit the sometimes controversial topic of signature change in general relativity. Specifically, we shall focus on the behaviour of a quantum field subjected to a manifold containing regions of different signature. We emphasise that, regardless of the underlying classical theory, there are severe problems associated with any quantum field theory residing on a signature-changing background. (Such as the production of what is naively an infinite number of particles, with an infinite energy density.) From the viewpoint of quantum gravity phenomenology, we discuss possible consequences of an effective Lorentz symmetry breaking scale. To more fully understand the physics of quantum fields exposed to finite regions of Euclidean-signature (Riemannian) geometry, we show its similarities with the quantum barrier penetration problem, and the super-Hubble horizon modes encountered in cosmology. Finally we raise the question as to whether signature change transitions could be fully understood and dynamically generated within (modified) classical general relativity, or whether they require the knowledge of a full theory of quantum gravity.Comment: 33 pages. 4 figures; V2: 3 references added, no physics changes; V3: now 24 pages - significantly shortened - argument simplified and more focused - no physics changes - this version accepted for publication in Classical and Quantum Gravit

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Surveillance in Marginalized Populations, Tijuana, Mexico

To detect early cases of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 infection, in 2009 we surveyed 303 persons from marginalized populations of drug users, sex workers, and homeless persons in Tijuana, Mexico. Six confirmed cases of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 were detected, and the use of rapid, mobile influenza testing was demonstrated

Barriers and opportunities for evidence-based health service planning: the example of developing a Decision Analytic Model to plan services for sexually transmitted infections in the UK

Decision Analytic Models (DAMs) are established means of evidence-synthesis to differentiate between health interventions. They have mainly been used to inform clinical decisions and health technology assessment at the national level, yet could also inform local health service planning. For this, a DAM must take into account the needs of the local population, but also the needs of those planning its services. Drawing on our experiences from stakeholder consultations, where we presented the potential utility of a DAM for planning local health services for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the UK, and the evidence it could use to inform decisions regarding different combinations of service provision, in terms of their costs, cost-effectiveness, and public health outcomes, we discuss the barriers perceived by stakeholders to the use of DAMs to inform service planning for local populations, including (1) a tension between individual and population perspectives; (2) reductionism; and (3) a lack of transparency regarding models, their assumptions, and the motivations of those generating models

Birthweight and risk markers for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in childhood: the Child Heart and Health Study in England (CHASE).

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Lower birthweight (a marker of fetal undernutrition) is associated with higher risks of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and could explain ethnic differences in these diseases. We examined associations between birthweight and risk markers for diabetes and CVD in UK-resident white European, South Asian and black African-Caribbean children. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study of risk markers for diabetes and CVD in 9- to 10-year-old children of different ethnic origins, birthweight was obtained from health records and/or parental recall. Associations between birthweight and risk markers were estimated using multilevel linear regression to account for clustering in children from the same school. RESULTS: Key data were available for 3,744 (66%) singleton study participants. In analyses adjusted for age, sex and ethnicity, birthweight was inversely associated with serum urate and positively associated with systolic BP. After additional height adjustment, lower birthweight (per 100 g) was associated with higher serum urate (0.52%; 95% CI 0.38, 0.66), fasting serum insulin (0.41%; 95% CI 0.08, 0.74), HbA1c (0.04%; 95% CI 0.00, 0.08), plasma glucose (0.06%; 95% CI 0.02, 0.10) and serum triacylglycerol (0.30%; 95% CI 0.09, 0.51) but not with BP or blood cholesterol. Birthweight was lower among children of South Asian (231 g lower; 95% CI 183, 280) and black African-Caribbean origin (81 g lower; 95% CI 30, 132). However, adjustment for birthweight had no effect on ethnic differences in risk markers. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Birthweight was inversely associated with urate and with insulin and glycaemia after adjustment for current height. Lower birthweight does not appear to explain emerging ethnic difference in risk markers for diabetes

A Critical Review of the \u3csup\u3e15\u3c/sup\u3eN\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e Tracer Method to Measure Diazotrophic Production in Pelagic Ecosystems

Dinitrogen (N2) fixation is an important source of biologically reactive nitrogen (N) to the global ocean. The magnitude of this flux, however, remains uncertain, in part because N2 fixation rates have been estimated following divergent protocols and because associated levels of uncertainty are seldom reported—confounding comparison and extrapolation of rate measurements. A growing number of reports of relatively low but potentially significant rates of N2 fixation in regions such as oxygen minimum zones, the mesopelagic water column of the tropical and subtropical oceans, and polar waters further highlights the need for standardized methodological protocols for measurements of N2 fixation rates and for calculations of detection limits and propagated error terms. To this end, we examine current protocols of the 15N2 tracer method used for estimating diazotrophic rates, present results of experiments testing the validity of specific practices, and describe established metrics for reporting detection limits. We put forth a set of recommendations for best practices to estimate N2 fixation rates using 15N2 tracer, with the goal of fostering transparency in reporting sources of uncertainty in estimates, and to render N2 fixation rate estimates intercomparable among studies