A Closer Look at the Death Penalty in the United States

The death penalty has always been a source of contention towards most people in the United States – some agree with it, some do not. No matter one\u27s opinion on whether it should be allowed, this poster presentation will give an in-depth analysis and present various visualizations of information regarding the convicted felons that have been sentenced to capital punishment in the United States from 1976-2016. Variables such as gender, age, and race will be explored to create some insight on some of the most infamous killers in United States history. Though looking at the demographics of these individuals and their victims is a main message, the states that convict and sentence them to death has a story to tell as well – is it surprising that Texas has executed over twice the amount of any other state in the U.S. during this time-period? Or that over half of the states do allow the death penalty as a way of sentencing? Finally, when it comes to these convicted felons, there is information that is not always well-known to the public. For example, individuals that have been sentenced to death have an option of volunteering , meaning that they are willing to expedite their death penalty process by eliminating all their required, by law, appeals. This project investigated which demographic factors are related to this decision. When individuals get sentenced to death when they\u27re younger, they are more likely to volunteer to expedite their death. Additionally, the method of execution used in the state they\u27re convicted in shows that the odds of a death row inmate volunteering are more likely when they will be killed using the firing squad in comparison to lethal injection. Overall, I will be discussing the demographics of the individuals that have been executed, information regarding their victims since all were convicted of felony murder, the methods of execution used, the location of the executions, and the volunteer status of everyone that was executed in this 40-year period

A STRUCTURAL-EQUATION GME ESTIMATOR

A generalized maximum entropy estimator is developed for the linear simultaneous equations systems model. We provide results on large and small sample properties of the estimator. Empirical results illustrate efficiency advantages of the generalized maximum entropy estimator proposed in this study over traditional estimators (e.g., 2SLS and 3SLS).Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

Halotolerant bacteria in the efflorescences of a deteriorated church

7 pages, 6 figures, 3 tables, 18 references.--Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium, celebrado del 5-8, abril, 2000, en Sevilla, España.[EN]: A study on the composition of the efflorescences from the Church of Saint Jerome, Granada, Spain, and their influence on the distribution ofthe bacterial communities was carried out. The composition of the efflorescences varied depending on the location of the sampling point. The colony foming units (cfu) was related with the type of salt, with a clear difference between halite and epsomite/hexahydrite. The most abundant genera were Bacillus and Micrococcus and the abundance of bacilli could be explained by their osmotic adaptation to halophilic environments.[ES]: Se ha determinado la composición de las eflorescencias de la iglesia de San Jerónimo, en Granada, España, y relacionado con la presencia de comunidades específicas de bacterias. Existe una conexión entre el tipo de sales y las comunidades bacterianas; así, la epsomita, la sal más abundante en el templo, origina la selección de comunidades capaces de crecer a concentraciones de hasta,15% de esta sal. Sin embargo, las bacterias que basan su halotolerancia en la halita presentan un crecimiento comparativamente menor y no son significativamente estimuladas por la presencia de epsomita. Los géneros más abundantes son Bacillus y Micrococcus. La abundancia de bacilos se debe a su adaptación osmótica a ambientes salinos.This work was supported by the European Commission, project ENV4-CT98-0705, and the Research Groups RNM-179 and 201 from the Community of Andalusia.Peer reviewe

The extracellular matrix of the spleen as a potential organizer of immune cell compartments

Until recently little information was available on the molecular details of the extracellular matrix (ECM) of secondary lymphoid tissues. There is now growing evidence that these ECMs are unique structures, combining characteristics of basement membranes and interstitial or fibrillar matrices, resulting in scaffolds that are strong and highly flexible and, in certain secondary lymphoid compartments, also forming conduit networks for rapid fluid transport. This review will address the structural characteristics of the ECM of the murine spleen and its potential role as an organizer of immune cell compartments, with reference to the lymph node where relevant

Toll-like receptor gene polymorphisms are associated with allergic rhinitis: a case control study

10.1186/1471-2350-13-66BMC Medical Genetics13-BMGM

Managing plagiarism in programming assignments with blended assessment and randomisation.

Plagiarism is a common concern for coursework in many situations, particularly where electronic solutions can be provided e.g. computer programs, and leads to unreliability of assessment. Written exams are often used to try to deal with this, and to increase reliability, but at the expense of validity. One solution, outlined in this paper, is to randomise the work that is set for students so that it is very unlikely that any two students will be working on exactly the same problem set. This also helps to address the issue of students trying to outsource their work by paying external people to complete their assignments for them. We examine the effectiveness of this approach and others (including blended assessment) by analysing the spread of similarity scores across four different introductory programming assignments to find the natural similarity i.e. the level of similarity that could reasonably occur without plagiarism. The results of the study indicate that divergent assessment (having more than one possible solution) as opposed to convergent assessment (only one solution) is the dominant factor in natural similarity. A key area for further work is to apply the analysis to a larger sample of programming assignments to better understand the impact of different features of the assignment design on natural similarity and hence the detection of plagiarism

Looking back and moving forward

This chapter brings together the research on teacher resilience and approaches to supporting resilience and wellbeing discussed in this volume. As many of the approaches utilised aspects of the BRiTE and Staying BRiTE projects, I highlight common themes as well as the different ways the authors developed and implemented their work to reflect their specific contexts and participants. I also reflect on broader issues related to conceptualisation of resilience, consider where responsibility for resilience lies, and explore future directions. The chapter also provides some insights regarding the collegial collaboration that has made the body of work possible

Karakteristik Dan Hasil Uji Marshall Aspal Termodifikasi Dengan Karet Alam Terdepolimerisasi Sebagai Aditif

Aspal termodifikasi polimer merupakan salah satu jenis formula aspal dengan penambahan polimer untuk mendapatkan sifat perkerasan jalan yang lebih baik, yaitu mengurangi deformasi pada perkerasan, meningkatkan ketahanan terhadap retak dan kelekatan pada agregat. Penelitian ini telah dilakukan dengan menggunakan karet alam SIR 20 terdepolimerisasi sebagai aditif pada aspal dengan konsentrasi 3%, 5%, dan 7% b/b. Dari hasil pengujian penetrasi, titik lembek, titik nyala, dan % kehilangan berat setelah pemanasan didapatkan konsentrasi terbaik, yaitu 5%. Data hasil uji Marshall yang terdiri dari stabilitas, pelelehan, stabilitas sisa setelah perendaman, dan hasil bagi Marshall berturut-turut adalah 1135,46 kg, 3,47 mm, 91,78%, dan 327,22 kg/mm. Nilai tersebut telah memenuhi persyaratan SNI untuk aspal polimer (SNI 06-2489-91) dan memiliki sifat yang lebih baik daripada aspal tanpa penambahan aditif (kontrol). Diterima : 17 November 2014; Direvisi : 29 Januari 2015; Disetujui : 7 Mei 2015 How to Cite : Prastanto, H., Cifriadi, A., & Ramadhan, A. (2015). Karakteristik dan hasil uji marshall aspal termodifikasi dengan karet alam terdepolimerisasi sebagai aditif. Jurnal Penelitian Karet, 33(1), 75-82. Retrieved from http://ejournal.puslitkaret.co.id/index.php/jpk/article/view/17

High Interferon-gamma Uniquely in V delta 1 T Cells Correlates with Markers of Inflammation and Axonal Damage in Early Multiple Sclerosis

We have identified a population of T lymphocytes in peripheral blood, Vδ1 TCRγδ T lymphocytes, which unexpectedly was uniquely expressing high production of interferon-γ in newly diagnosed, untreated multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. IFN-γ production in this population distinctly correlated to parameters of clinical disease activity, inflammation, and neuronal damage. These Vδ1 T lymphocytes belong to a population of innate T lymphocytes that recognize antigen in the context of CD1d/CD1c and which include reactivity to the myelin glycosphingolipid sulfatide. Importantly, patients treated with natalizumab, blocking leukocyte transmigration to central nervous system, had completely normalized levels of interferon-γ-producing Vδ1 T lymphocytes. A biomarker and early sign of demyelinating disease in MS is much warranted and would help identify immunopathogenesis and prognosis of disease as well as monitor success with adequate treatment. The present study identifies the Vδ1 T lymphocytes as an early marker of MS and a possible link to understanding the disease etiology