1,283 research outputs found
âWe all like to think weâve saved somebody:â Sex Trafficking in Literature
This essay considers the potential impact of sex trafficking narratives and their relationship to public perception and social change efforts. It fuses literary criticism and cultural analysis to discuss multiple genres of texts, including mainstream news media reports and two categories of novels about sex trafficking. Finally, it argues for the power of narrative to catalyze and influence actions designed to eradicate sex trafficking
Formalizing Moessner's theorem and generalizations in Nuprl
Moessner's theorem describes a procedure for generating a sequence of n integer sequences that lead unexpectedly to the sequence of nth powers 1^{n}, 2^{n}, 3^{n},...Several generalizations of Moessner's theorem exist. Recently, Kozen and Silva gave an algebraic proof of a general theorem that subsumes Moessner's original theorem and its known generalizations. In this note, we describe the formalization of this theorem that the first author did in Nuprl. On the one hand, the formalization remains remarkably close to the original proof. On the other hand, it leads to new insights in the proof, pointing to small gaps and ambiguities that would never raise any objections in pen and pencil proofs, but which must be resolved in machine formalization
Orbit transfer rocket engine integrated control and health monitoring system technology readiness assessment
The objectives of this task were to: (1) estimate the technology readiness of an integrated control and health monitoring (ICHM) system for the Aerojet 7500 lbF Orbit Transfer Vehicle engine preliminary design assuming space based operations; and (2) estimate the remaining cost to advance this technology to a NASA defined 'readiness level 6' by 1996 wherein the technology has been demonstrated with a system validation model in a simulated environment. The work was accomplished through the conduct of four subtasks. In subtask 1 the minimally required functions for the control and monitoring system was specified. The elements required to perform these functions were specified in Subtask 2. In Subtask 3, the technology readiness level of each element was assessed. Finally, in Subtask 4, the development cost and schedule requirements were estimated for bringing each element to 'readiness level 6'
Tectonic Evolution of the Adirondack Mountains and Grenville Orogen Inliers within the USA
Recent investigations in geochronology and tectonics provide important new insights into the evolution of the Grenville Orogen in North America. Here, we summarize results of this research in the USA and focus upon ca. 1.4â0.98 Ga occurrences extending from the Adirondack Mountains to the southern Appalachians and Texas. Recent geochronology (mainly by U/Pb SHRIMP) establishes that these widely separated regions experienced similar tectonomagmatic events, i.e., the Elzevirian (ca. 1.25â1.22 Ga), Shawinigan (ca. 1.2â1.14 Ga), and Grenvillian (ca. 1.09â0.98 Ga) orogenies and associated plate interactions. Notwithstanding these commonalities, Nd model ages and Pb isotopic mapping has revealed important differences that are best explained by the existence of contrasting compositions of deep crustal reservoirs beneath the Adirondacks and the southern Appalachians. The isotopic compositions for the Adirondacks lie on the same PbâPb array as those for the Grenville Province, the Granite-Rhyolite Province and the Grenvillian inliers of Texas suggesting that they all developed on Laurentian crust. On the other hand, data from the southern Appalachians are similar to those of the Sunsas Terrane in Brazil and suggest that Amazonian crust with these PbâPb characteristics was thrust onto eastern Laurentia during its Grenvillian collision with Amazonia and subsequently transferred to the latter during the late Neoproterozoic breakup of the supercontinent, Rodinia, and the formation of the Iapetus Ocean. The ca. 1.3â1.0 Ga Grenville Orogen is also exposed in the Llano Uplift of Texas and in small inliers in west Texas and northeast Mexico. The Llano Uplift contains evidence for a major collision with a southern continent at ca. 1.15â1.12 Ga (Kalahari Craton?), magmatic arcs, and back-arc and foreland basins, all of which are reviewed.    The Grenvillian Orogeny is considered to be the culminating tectonic event that terminated approximately 500 m.y. of continental margin growth along southeastern Laurentia by accretion, continental margin arc magmatism, and metamorphism. Accordingly, we briefly review the tectonic and magmatic histories of these Paleoproterozoic and Mesoproterozoic pre-Grenvillian orogens, i.e., Penokean, Yavapai, and Mazatzal as well as the Granite-Rhyolite Province and discuss their ~5000 km transcontinental span.SOMMAIREDes recherches rĂ©centes en gĂ©ochronologie et en tectonique rĂ©vĂšlent dâimportants faits nouveaux sur lâĂ©volution de lâorogĂ©nie de Grenville en AmĂ©rique du Nord. Nous prĂ©sentons ici un sommaire des rĂ©sultats de cet effort de recherche aux USA en mettant lâaccent sur les indices datĂ©s entre env. 1,4 et 0,98 Ga, Ă partir des monts Adirondack jusquâau sud des Appalaches et au Texas. Des donnĂ©es gĂ©ochronologiques rĂ©centes (par microsonde SHRIMP principalement) indiquent que les roches de ces rĂ©gions trĂšs Ă©loignĂ©es les unes des autres ont subies lâeffet dâĂ©pisodes tectonomagmatiques similaires, par exemple, aux orogenĂšses de lâElzĂ©virien (env. 1.25â1.22 Ga), de Shawinigan (env. 1.2â1.14 Ga), et du Grenvillien (env. 1.09â0.98 Ga), ainsi que des interactions des plaques associĂ©es. MalgrĂ© ces points communs, la chronologie Nd et la cartographie isotopique Pb a rĂ©vĂ©lĂ© des diffĂ©rences importantes qui sâexpliquent plus aisĂ©ment par des compositions contrastĂ©es des rĂ©servoirs profonds de croĂ»te sous les Adirondacks et le sud des Appalaches. Les compositions isotopiques des Adirondacks sont de la mĂȘme gamme Pb-Pb que ceux de la Province de Grenville, de la Province Granite-rhyolite et des boutonniĂšres grenvilliennes du Texas, suggĂ©rant qu'ils se sont tous dĂ©veloppĂ©es sur la croĂ»te des Laurentides. Par ailleurs, les donnĂ©es des Appalaches du sud sont semblables Ă celles du terrane de Sunsas au BrĂ©sil, ce qui incite Ă penser que la croĂ»te amazonienne, avec de telles caractĂ©ristiques Pb-Pb, a Ă©tĂ© poussĂ©e sur la portion est de Laurentia lors de sa collision grenvillienne avec lâAmazonie puis laissĂ©e Ă cette derniĂšre au cours de la rupture du supercontinent Rodinia vers la fin du NĂ©oprotĂ©rozoĂŻque, avec la formation de l'ocĂ©an Iapetus. LâorogĂšne de Grenville (1,3 Ă 1,0 Ga env.) est Ă©galement exposĂ© dans le soulĂšvement de Llano au Texas et dans de petites boutonniĂšres dans l'ouest du Texas et le nord du Mexique. Le soulĂšvement de Llano montre des indices d'une collision majeure avec un continent au sud, entre env. 1,15 et 1,12 Ga (craton de Kalahari?), des zones dâarcs magmatiques, d'arriĂšre-arc et de bassin d'avant-pays, chacun Ă©tant prĂ©sentĂ© ci-dessous.   L'orogenĂšse de Grenville est considĂ©rĂ© comme l'Ă©vĂ©nement tectonique culminant qui marquĂ© la fin dâune pĂ©riode dâenviron 500 ma dâaccroissement de la marge continentale le long de la bordure sud-est de la Laurentie, par accrĂ©tion, magmatisme dâarc de marge continentale, et mĂ©tamorphisme. Câest pourquoi, nous passons briĂšvement en revue l'histoire tectonique et magmatique de ces orogĂšnes prĂ©-grenvilliennes palĂ©oprotĂ©rozoĂŻques et mĂ©soprotĂ©rozoĂŻques, pĂ©nokĂ©enne, de Yavapai, et de Mazatzal ainsi que la Province de Granite-rhyolite, et discutons de son Ă©tendue sur env. 5 000 km.
Modeling the Expenditure and Recovery of Anaerobic Work Capacity in Cycling
The objective of this research is to model the expenditure and recovery of Anaerobic Work Capacity (AWC) as related to Critical Power (CP) during cycling. CP is a theoretical value at which a human can operate indefinitely and AWC is the energy that can be expended above CP. There are several models to predict AWC-depletion, however, only a few to model AWC recovery. A cycling study was conducted with nine recreationally active subjects. CP and AWC were determined by a 3-min all-out test. The subjects performed interval tests at three recovery intervals (15 s, 30 s, or 60 s) and three recovery powers (0.50CP, 0.75CP, and CP). It was determined that the rate of expenditure exceeds recovery and the amount of AWC recovered is influenced more by recovery power level than recovery duration. Moreover, recovery rate varies by individual and thus, a robust mathematical model for expenditure and recovery of AWC is needed
Applications of Transformative Justice Principles for Centering Transgender and Gender Expansive Experiences in Social Work Education and Practice
Social work education has traditionally used frameworks, such as cultural competency, to guide implicit and explicit curricula that shape how we think about communities that live and thrive outside of white supremacist and cis/heteronormative norms and values. While the cultural competency framework intends to promote a level of consciousness and attention that is required to practice with diverse individuals, families, and communities whose identities differ from that of the social worker, it instead inadvertently creates a knowledge base that reinforces harmful power dynamics between social worker and client/community. The cultural competency framework is absent of historical and structural context and lacks critical examination of positionality. The use of such frameworks has positioned social work educators and practitioners as the âexpertsâ about culture, thus reinforcing the oppressive dynamic that allows for transgender and gender expansive (TGE) erasure, white supremacy, and transphobia to go unchecked. Without structural knowledge about the ways in which trans- phobic rhetoric and white supremacist ideology, for example, are reflected in policies and practices, social workers may be unable to develop the skills necessary to challenge these forms of injustice and ultimately hold them- selves, their colleagues, policymakers and the profession accountable. We suggest a shift in positioning that encourages and practices accountability rooted in transformative justice (TJ) principles. Drawing on knowledge and practices which emerge from activist spaces, an accountability frame- work is built upon a systemic understanding that requires shifts in belief, thinking, and behavior at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional, and societal levels. This paper will introduce a suggested framework for social work education to engage in accountability rather than competency-based education and practice, and discuss how it may be applied to guide a response to anti-transgender legislation across the U.S
CX3CL1 reduces neurotoxicity and microglial activation in a rat model of Parkinson\u27s disease
BACKGROUND: Parkinson\u27s disease is characterized by a progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. The cause of the neurodegeneration is unknown. Neuroinflammation has been clearly shown in Parkinson\u27s disease and may be involved in the progressive nature of the disease. Microglia are capable of producing neuronal damage through the production of bioactive molecules such as cytokines, as well as reactive oxygen species (ROS), and nitric oxide (NO). The inflammatory response in the brain is tightly regulated at multiple levels. One form of immune regulation occurs via neurons. Fractalkine (CX3CL1), produced by neurons, suppresses the activation of microglia. CX3CL1 is constitutively expressed. It is not known if addition of exogenous CX3CL1 beyond otherwise physiologically normal levels could decrease microglia activation and thereby minimize the secondary neurodegeneration following a neurotoxic insult.
METHODS: The intrastriatal 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rat model of Parkinson disease, was used to test the hypothesis that exogenous CX3CL1 could be neuroprotective. Treatment with recombinant CX3CL1 was delivered to the striatum by an osmotic minipump for 28 days beginning 7 days after the initial insult. Unbiased stereological methods were used to quantify the lesion size in the striatum, the amount of neuronal loss in the substantia nigra, and the amount of microglia activation.
RESULTS: As hypothesized, CX3CL1 was able to suppress this microglia activation. The reduced microglia activation was found to be neuroprotective as the CX3CL1 treated rats had a smaller lesion volume in the striatum and importantly significantly fewer neurons were lost in the CX3CL1 treated rats.
CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrated that CX3CL1 plays a neuroprotective role in 6-OHDA-induced dopaminergic lesion and it might be an effective therapeutic target for many neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson disease and Alzheimer disease, where inflammation plays an important role
CX3CL1 reduces neurotoxicity and microglial activation in a rat model of Parkinson\u27s disease
BACKGROUND: Parkinson\u27s disease is characterized by a progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. The cause of the neurodegeneration is unknown. Neuroinflammation has been clearly shown in Parkinson\u27s disease and may be involved in the progressive nature of the disease. Microglia are capable of producing neuronal damage through the production of bioactive molecules such as cytokines, as well as reactive oxygen species (ROS), and nitric oxide (NO). The inflammatory response in the brain is tightly regulated at multiple levels. One form of immune regulation occurs via neurons. Fractalkine (CX3CL1), produced by neurons, suppresses the activation of microglia. CX3CL1 is constitutively expressed. It is not known if addition of exogenous CX3CL1 beyond otherwise physiologically normal levels could decrease microglia activation and thereby minimize the secondary neurodegeneration following a neurotoxic insult.
METHODS: The intrastriatal 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rat model of Parkinson disease, was used to test the hypothesis that exogenous CX3CL1 could be neuroprotective. Treatment with recombinant CX3CL1 was delivered to the striatum by an osmotic minipump for 28 days beginning 7 days after the initial insult. Unbiased stereological methods were used to quantify the lesion size in the striatum, the amount of neuronal loss in the substantia nigra, and the amount of microglia activation.
RESULTS: As hypothesized, CX3CL1 was able to suppress this microglia activation. The reduced microglia activation was found to be neuroprotective as the CX3CL1 treated rats had a smaller lesion volume in the striatum and importantly significantly fewer neurons were lost in the CX3CL1 treated rats.
CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrated that CX3CL1 plays a neuroprotective role in 6-OHDA-induced dopaminergic lesion and it might be an effective therapeutic target for many neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson disease and Alzheimer disease, where inflammation plays an important role
U-Pb Studies of Zircon Cores and Overgrowths, and Monazite: Implications for Age and Petrogenesis of the Northeastern Idaho Batholith
U/Pb isotopic studies of zircons, many containing xenocrystic cores with euhedral overgrowths, and monazite from igneous rocks and metasedimentary inclusions of the northeastern Idaho batholith yield linear arrays on concordia diagrams. We interpret these as mixing lines between an old component (cores) and a young component (overgrowths and zircons without cores). The lower intercept of such arrays with concordia may yield the minimum age of the rocks if the overgrowths and zircons without cores are discordant, or the crystallization age if they are concordant. Monazites yield apparently concordant ages either equal or less than the lower intercept zircon ages. The samples studied yield lower intercept ages ranging from 73.5+ or -6 Ma (foliated quartz diorite) to 46.5+ or -1 Ma (feldspar megacryst granite); ages obtained are consistent with crosscutting relations observed in the field. Upper intercepts yield ages of 1700 to 2349 Ma. These are interpreted to indicate the mean age of xenocrystic zircon. Studies of zircons from xenolith suites indicate that they could represent the source of the old zircon component. The zircon and monazite results, the generally high initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios of the igneous rocks, and the isotopic composition of Pb in feldspar indicate that the magmas were derived anatectically from a continental crustal source or were extensively mixed with such old crust prior to or during emplacement
Senior Inquiry: Diversity of the Human Experience
This collaboratively created poster summarizes, in graphic form, the Senior Inquiry students\u27 year-long course of study
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