Continuing Education

This history for the Adult and Continuing Education was collected to commemorate DMACC\u27s 50th anniversary celebration during the 2015-16 academic year

Policing During a Pandemic:for the public health or against the usual suspects?

It is much remarked upon that the pandemic exposed underlying tensions and weaknesses in European societies. Police attention, in enforcing lockdowns and other restrictions on movement and assembly, has tended to be dis-proportionately focused upon minority communities. However, middle class white people have also been policed in ways they have perhaps not previously experienced. As a consequence, the pandemic has shed light on the use of police powers more generally. While police powers to stop citizens, to check their identity and to search or otherwise detain them have long been controversial in the US and in the UK, they have now become a focus of debate in Belgium, France, Germany and beyond. In a public health pandemic, the police largely continued to discipline the working class and minorities (despite the alarm raised by middle classes). Attention was not equally distributed and there is little to connect patterns of policing with, for instance, prevalence of the virus within local populations. Instead, policing continued to act as a disciplinary instrument in particularly problematic and unruly communities. This paper draws upon a review of policing of the pandemic undertaken by an EU COST Action (CA17102) on Police Stops. In the absence of clarity and transparency, the use of police powers can undermine legitimacy in particular communities and, this presents particular threats to the social health and security of all

Expression of Groucho/TLE proteins during pancreas development

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The full-length mammalian homologs of <it>groucho</it>, Tle1, 2, 3, and 4, act as transcriptional corepressors and are recruited by transcription factors containing an eh1 or WRPW/Y domain. Many transcription factors critical to pancreas development contain a Gro/TLE interaction domain and several have been shown to require Gro/TLE interactions for proper function during neuronal development. However, a detailed analysis of the expression patterns of the Gro/TLE proteins in pancreas development has not been performed. Moreover, little is known about the ability of Gro/TLE proteins to interact with transcription factors in the pancreas.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We describe the expression of Gro/TLE family members, and of 34 different transcription factors that contain a Gro/TLE interaction motif, in the pancreas utilizing nine SAGE libraries created from the developing and adult pancreas, as well as the <it>GenePaint </it>database. Next, we show the dynamic expression of <it>Tle1</it>, <it>2</it>, <it>3</it>, <it>4, 5 </it>and <it>6 </it>during pancreas development by qRT-PCR. To further define the cell-type specificity of the expression of these proteins we use immunofluorescence to co-localize them with Pdx1 at embryonic day 12.5 (E12.5), Ngn3 at E14.5, Pdx1, Nkx2-2, Insulin, Glucagon, Pancreatic polypeptide and Somatostatin at E18.5, as well as Insulin and Glucagon in the adult. We then show that Tle2 can interact with Nkx2-2, Hes1, Arx, and Nkx6-1 which are all critical factors in pancreas development. Finally, we demonstrate that Tle2 modulates the repressive abilities of Arx in a β-cell line.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Although Tle1, 2, 3, and 4 show overlapping expression in pancreatic progenitors and in the adult islet, the expression of these factors is restricted to different cell types during endocrine cell maturation. Of note, Tle2 and Tle3 are co-expressed with Gro/TLE interaction domain containing transcription factors that are essential for endocrine pancreas development. We further demonstrate that Tle2 can interact with several of these factors and that Tle2 modulate Arx's repressive activity. Taken together our studies suggest that Gro/TLE proteins play a role in the repression of target genes during endocrine cell specification.</p

Framework for the Parametric System Modeling of Space Exploration Architectures

This paper presents a methodology for performing architecture definition and assessment prior to, or during, program formulation that utilizes a centralized, integrated architecture modeling framework operated by a small, core team of general space architects. This framework, known as the Exploration Architecture Model for IN-space and Earth-to-orbit (EXAMINE), enables: 1) a significantly larger fraction of an architecture trade space to be assessed in a given study timeframe; and 2) the complex element-to-element and element-to-system relationships to be quantitatively explored earlier in the design process. Discussion of the methodology advantages and disadvantages with respect to the distributed study team approach typically used within NASA to perform architecture studies is presented along with an overview of EXAMINE s functional components and tools. An example Mars transportation system architecture model is used to demonstrate EXAMINE s capabilities in this paper. However, the framework is generally applicable for exploration architecture modeling with destinations to any celestial body in the solar system

Theories or fragments?

Lake et al. argue persuasively that modelling human-like intelligence requires flexible, compositional representations in order to embody world knowledge. But human knowledge is too sparse and selfcontradictory to be embedded in “intuitive theories.” We argue, instead, that knowledge is grounded in exemplar-based learning and generalization, combined with high flexible generalization, a viewpoint compatible both with non-parametric Bayesian modelling and with subsymbolic methods such as neural networks

The Economics of Residential Building Deconstruction in Portland, OR

Impact analysis of the nascent deconstruction industry, in light of recent legislation

A global range military transport: The ostrich

Studies have shown that there is an increasing need for a global range transport capable of carrying large numbers of troops and equipment to potential trouble spots throughout the world. The Ostrich is a solution to this problem. The Ostrich is capable of carrying 800,000 pounds 6,500 n.m. and returning with 15 percent payload, without refueling. With a technology availability date in 2010 and an initial operating capability of 2015, the aircraft incorporates many advanced technologies including laminar flow control, composite primary structures, and a unique multibody design. By utilizing current technology, such as using McDonnell Douglas C-17 fuselage for the outer fuselages on the Ostrich, the cost for the aircraft was reduced. The cost of the Ostrich per aircraft is $1.2 billion with a direct operating cost of$56,000 per flight hour. The Ostrich will provide a valuable service as a logistical transport capable of rapidly projecting a significant military force or humanitarian aid anywhere in the world

Facility HIV Self-Testing in Outpatient Departments: An Assessment of Characteristics and Concerns of Outpatients Who Opt Out of Testing in Malawi

BackgroundFacility HIV self-testing (HIVST) in outpatient departments can dramatically increase testing among adult outpatients. However, it is still unclear why populations opt out of facility HIVST and reasons for opt outing. Using data from a parent facility HIVST trial, we sought to understand individual characteristics associated with opting out of facility HIVST and reported reasons for not testing.MethodsExit surveys were conducted with outpatients aged ≥15 years at 5 facilities in Central and Southern Malawi randomized to the facility HIVST arm of the parent trial. Outpatients were eligible for our substudy if they were offered HIVST and eligible for HIV testing (ie, never previously tested HIV positive and tested ≥12 months ago or never tested). Summary statistics and multivariate regression models were used.ResultsSeven hundred seventy-one outpatients were included in the substudy. Two hundred sixty-three (34%) opted out of HIVST. Urban residency (adjusted risk ratios [aRR] 3.48; 95% CI: 1.56 to 7.76) and self-reported poor health (aRR 1.86; 95% CI: 1.27 to 2.72) were associated with an increased risk of opting out. Male participants had a 69% higher risk of opting out (aRR 1.69; 95% CI: 1.14 to 2.51), with risk being 38% lower among working male participants. Primary reasons for not testing were feeling unprepared to test (49·4%) and perceived low risk of HIV infection (30·4%)-only 2.6% believed that HIVST instructions were unclear, and 1.7% were concerned about privacy.ConclusionWorking, risky sexual behavior, rural residence, and good self-rated health were positively associated with opting out of HIVST among outpatients. Strategies to address internalized barriers, such as preparedness to test and perceived need to test, should be incorporated into facility HIVST interventions

Mechanisms of Injury and Countermeasures for EVA Associated Upper Extremity Medical Issues: Extended Vent Tube Study

The goal of this study is to determine the role that moisture plays in the injury to the fingers and fingernails during EVA training operations in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory. Current Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU, with a PLSS) as configured in the NBL was used for all testing and a vent tube was extended down a single arm of the crewmember during the test; vent tube was moved between left and right arm to serve as experimental condition being investigated and the other arm served as control condition