How and why deliberative democracy enables co-intelligence and brings wisdom to governance

Over the past decade, state and local governments throughout Australia have focused on how to improve community consultation. Government consultation processes, regulated with the best of intentions to involve the public, have come under heavy criticism as being DEAD (Decide, Educate, Announce and Defend). It has become apparent that the problem community consultation was supposed to fix – including the voice of the community in developing policy and plans – has remained problematic. Worse, the fix has often backfired. Rather than achieving community engagement, consultation has frequently resulted in the unintended consequence of community frustration and anger at tokenism and increased citizen disaffection. Traditional community consultation has become a “fix that failed”, resulting in a “vicious cycle” of ever-decreasing social capital1 (Hartz-Karp 2002). Ordinary citizens are less and less interested in participating, evidenced by the generally low turn-out at government community consultation initiatives. When the community does attend in larger numbers, it is most often because the issue has already sparked community outrage, inspiring those with local interests to attend and protest. In their endeavour to change this situation, government agencies have created and disseminated ‘how to’ community consultation manuals, conducted conferences and run training sessions for staff. Issues of focus have included project planning, risk analysis, stakeholder mapping, economic analysis, value assurance, standardisation and so forth. Implementation models have illustrated a desired shift from informing, educating and gaining input from citizens, to collaboration, empowerment and delegated decision-making. Although new engagement techniques have been outlined, it has not been clarified how agencies can achieve such a radical change from eliciting community input to collaborative decision-making. Regardless, to reassure the public that improvements have been made, community consultation has been ‘re-badged’ to ‘community engagement’. A new vocabulary has developed around this nomenclature. However, the community has remained unconvinced that anything much has changed. The question is: Why hasn’t the community accepted these efforts with enthusiasm? The most optimistic response is that there will be a lag time between the announcement of improvements and actual improvements, and an even longer time lag between seeing the results and a resumption of the community’s trust in government. The more pessimistic response (one that also has resonance with many public sector staff) is that in essence, not a lot has changed. The ‘re-badging’ and management improvements have not resulted in the public feeling more engaged or empowered

Seat Belt Safety

The issue that I decided to discuss is seat belt safety. According to the CDC, 21,022 vehicle passengers died in motor vehicle crashes in 2014 with more than half of these resulting from the individual not being restrained in the vehicle. A car crash isn’t planned, it can happen at any time to anyone. The only way to prepare for something like that to happen is to always take the right precautions which includes putting on your seatbelt every time you get in the vehicle. Over 2.3 million drivers and passengers were treated in emergency departments in 2014. Young adult drivers aged 18-24 have the highest crash-related injury rates among all drivers. Photovoice is a participatory research strategy that allows individuals to reflect upon the strengths and concerns of their community. Traffic safety is a subject that is of concern everywhere you go, with seatbelts sitting at the top of the list for priorities when it comes to safety in a vehicle. By using strategies such as posting facts concerning the safety of people on the road and using street signs to remind people to buckle up, we can reduce the injury and mortality rates during traffic accidents. Resources in the community that address this issue would include the public safety administration, or police, that enforce the law of fastening your seatbelt while in a vehicle. Other resources would include street signs and even the alarm in your car that goes off when the seatbelt is not fastened. 1 in 7 people still choose not to wear a seat belt still in the United States. According to the CDC, seat belts reduce the risk of death by 45% and the risk of serious injury by 50%. In my first picture I\u27m shown not wearing a seat belt. This is a serious issue that needs to be addressed because still on average, 90 people die in motor vehicle crashes every day with over half of them not having proper restraint. My second picture is of a sign on the side of the road that reads click it or ticket . More people will see this and put their seat belt on because they do not want to get fined. Seat belts save thousands of lives each year, and having signs like that can help save thousands more. I hope that through continued spreading of awareness of this issue that the population will understand the need to be properly fastened in their car at all times. You never know when it could happen, and the best way to prepare for an accident is to always take the proper safety measures when it comes to keeping you and your passengers safe

The significant impact of education, poverty, and race on Internet-based research participant engagement

PURPOSE: Internet-based technologies are increasingly being used for research studies. However, it is not known whether Internet-based approaches will effectively engage participants from diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. METHODS: A total of 967 participants were recruited and offered genetic ancestry results. We evaluated viewing Internet-based genetic ancestry results among participants who expressed high interest in obtaining the results. RESULTS: Of the participants, 64% stated that they were very or extremely interested in their genetic ancestry results. Among interested participants, individuals with a high school diploma (n = 473) viewed their results 19% of the time relative to 4% of the 145 participants without a diploma (P < 0.0001). Similarly, 22% of participants with household income above the federal poverty level (n = 286) viewed their results relative to 10% of the 314 participants living below the federal poverty level (P < 0.0001). Among interested participants both with a high school degree and living above the poverty level, self-identified Caucasians were more likely to view results than self-identified African Americans (P < 0.0001), and females were more likely to view results than males (P = 0.0007). CONCLUSION: In an underserved population, engagement in Internet-based research was low despite high reported interest. This suggests that explicit strategies should be developed to increase diversity in Internet-based research. Genet Med 19 2, 240–243

Collective Identity and Voice at the Australian Citizens' Parliament

This paper examines the role of collective identity and collective voice in political life. We argue that persons have an underlying predisposition to use collective dimensions, such as common identities and a public voice, in thinking and expressing themselves politically. This collective orientation, however, can be either fostered or weakened by citizens’ political experiences. Although the collective level is an important dimension in contemporary politics, conventional democratic practices do not foster it. Deliberative democracy is suggested as an environment that might allow more ground for citizens to express themselves not only in individual but also in collective terms. We examine this theoretical perspective through a case study of the Australian Citizens’ Parliament, in which transcripts are analyzed to determine the extent to which collective identities and common voice surfaced in actual discourse. We analyze the dynamics involved in the advent of collective dimensions in the deliberative process and highlight the factors—deliberation, nature of the discussion, and exceptional opportunity—that potentially facilitated the rise of group identities and common voice. In spite of the strong individualistic character of the Australian cultural identity, we nonetheless found evidence of collective identity and voice at the Citizens’ Parliament, expressed in terms of national, state, and community levels. In the conclusion, we discuss the implications of those findings for future research and practice of public deliberation

Influence of pretreatments on microtensile bond strength to eroded dentin using a universal adhesive in self-etch mode

Purpose To evaluate the influence of pretreatments on microtensile bond strength (μTBS) to eroded dentin when using a universal adhesive in self-etch mode. Materials and methods Forty-eight human molars were randomly assigned to six groups (G1–G6, n = 8) and ground down until dentin exposure. G2–G6 were eroded with citric acid (pH 2.6) for 10 × 2 min (within 12 h) on 5 consecutive days. G1 and G2 served as uneroded and eroded controls and were not pretreated. G3 and G4 were pretreated for 60 s with NaOCl (10% and 5%, respectively). G5 was airborne-particle abraded using Al2O3 for 15 s, and G6 was roughened with a diamond bur. The universal adhesive Scotchbond Universal was applied in self-etch mode. After composite build-up, μTBS was determined. Results Control group G1 (uneroded) showed higher μTBS than G2 (eroded). The μTBS (mean MPa ±SD) of G5 (airborne-particle abrasion; 11.6 ± 4.6) and G6 (bur-roughening; 11.0 ± 3.3) did not differ significantly from the μTBS of G1 (12.4 ± 4.2). Significantly higher μTBS compared to all other groups was observed in G3 (NaOCl 10%; 17.6 ± 7.6). Pretreatment with NaOCl 5% (G4) achieved significantly lower μTBS (3.5 ± 2.6) than the other groups, except for G2 (8.8 ± 2.0). Conclusions Pretreatment with 10% NaOCl, diamond bur roughening or airborne-particle abrasion can increase bond strength of the tested adhesive to eroded dentine. Pre-treatment with 5% NaOCl is not recommended

Sled-Pull Training Protocol Increases Critical Speed in Female Collegiate Soccer Players

Critical speed (CS) is the speed one can sustain while maintaining blood lactate, phosphocreatine, and oxygen uptake levels. “Distance capacity beyond CS” (D’) is the reserve an athlete can draw from to run faster than their CS. By increasing CS and D’, athletes can sustain a faster threshold pace (CS) and have a greater sprint capacity (D’). Unlike distance traveled and speed, which do not reflect the metabolic strain of an exercise, CS and D’ assess the relative intensity of an activity to provide individualized inter- and intra-competition insight. PURPOSE: This investigation evaluated CS and D’ among men and women Division I collegiate soccer players for the first time and assessed the efficacy of a 12-week sled-pulling program intended to improve their CS profiles. METHODS: Using a 3-minute all-out 25-meter shuttle run, the speed of the first 150s (S’150), CS, and D’ of 23 men (20.22 ± 1.53 years, 168.28 ± 51.17 cm, 73.44 ± 23.46 kg) and 17 women (19.58 ± 1.02 years, 167.07 ± 3.81 cm, 62.46 ± 8.41 kg) was assessed before and after the training protocol. Video analysis was used to track displacement over time. RESULTS: The training program increased the S’150 of men by 3.58% (3.66 ±0.19 vs 3.77 ± 0.17 m/s, pCONCLUSION: Sled-pull training improved the CS profile of both men and women. Additional research is necessary to determine how improvements in S’150 and CS translate to better performance in competition

How do diversity and functional nestedness of bird communities respond to changes in the landscape caused by eucalyptus plantations?

Studies of functional diversity can help to understand processes that determine the presence of species in different habitats. Measurement of functional diversity in silviculture areas is important because different functional traits can show different responses to this landscape alteration, and therefore ecological functions can be affected. This study evaluated functional and taxonomic differences in bird assemblages in a native forest and eucalyptus plantations, and also assessed the functional nestedness of the bird species. We censused birds in eucalyptus plantations of four different ages, and also in a native forest. The results showed higher functional and taxonomic diversity of birds in the native forest than in plantations and higher similarity of functional traits between plantations of different ages. The high functional diversity in the native forest indicates a greater variety of functional traits, resulting in greater functional complementarity than in plantations. The association of some traits with the native forest, such as nectarivory and foraging in air, indicates the importance of native habitats in maintaining species and functions related to such traits. Already, species traits in eucalyptus plantations represent a subset of those that were recorded in the native forest, indicating that some functions are maintained in plantations. Our results demonstrate that the species occurrence in the plantations and native forest is determined by species traits. Thus, the maintenance of some functions in plantations is provided, although there is a higher functional diversity in native forest

Tool for automatic collection and assessment of homework exercises

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2012.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 101-103).CAT-SOOP is a tool which allows for automatic collection and assessment of various types of homework exercises. CAT-SOOP is capable of assessing a variety of exercises, including symbolic math and computer programs written in the Python programming language. This thesis describes the design and implementation of the CAT-SOOP system, as well as the methods by which it assesses these various types of exercises. In addition, the implementation of an add-on tool for providing novel forms of feedback about student-submitted computer programs is discussed.by Adam J. Hartz.M.Eng

Characterization and Comparison of Human Glioblastoma Models

AbstractGlioblastoma (GBM) is one of the deadliest cancers. Treatment options are limited, and median patient survival is only several months. Translation of new therapies is hindered by a lack of GBM models that fully recapitulate disease heterogeneity. Here, we characterize two human GBM models (U87-luc2, U251-RedFLuc). In vitro, both cell lines express similar levels of luciferase and show comparable sensitivity to temozolomide and lapatinib exposure. In vivo, however, the two GBM models recapitulate diferent aspects of the disease. U87-luc2 cells quickly grow into large, well-demarcated tumors; U251-RedFLuc cells form small, highly invasive tumors. Using a new method to assess GBM invasiveness based on detecting tumor-specifc anti-luciferase staining in brain slices, we found that U251-RedFLuc cells are more invasive than U87-luc2 cells. Lastly, we determined expression levels of ABC transporters in both models. Our fndings indicate that U87-luc2 and U251-RedFLuc GBM models recapitulate diferent aspects of GBM heterogeneity that need to be considered in preclinical research