‘Other spaces’ for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and questioning (LGBTQ) students: positioning LGBTQ-affirming schools as sites of resistance within inclusive education

This article explores the growing interest in schools which are aimed at children and young people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and questioning (LGBTQ), schools described as LGBTQ-affirming. Schools which target specific groups of students are sometimes viewed as being anti-inclusive because they assign labels to students and separate them from one another. This is based on a notion of inclusive education as a single ‘school for all’; a comprehensive, common school which is suitable for all children in a particular locality. Using academic literature alongside original data from an in-depth qualitative case study of an LGBTQ-affirming school in Atlanta, this article addresses the question of whether there is a place for LGBTQ-affirming schools within inclusive education systems. It argues that the word ‘segregated’ is not an accurate description of these schools, positing that segregated spaces are not the same as separate spaces. It argues that the separateness of LGBTQ-affirming schools is important to their role in inclusive education, specifically when they are positioned as examples of Foucault’s heterotopias. Viewing them through this theoretical lens enables them to be seen as ‘other spaces’, as a form of ‘resistance’ and ‘protest’ which may ‘unstitch’ the utopian vision of inclusive education

Implementation of the Sequential Air Method in Laboratory and Field Studies

This work validates the Sequential Air Method (SAM) Number by analyzing data from laboratory, industry fieldwork, and a series of concrete mixtures with different admixture combinations. Comparisons are made to the total air content and hardened air-void analysis (ASTM C457) for the 458 concrete mixtures studied. Comparisons are also made to the freeze thaw durability testing (ASTM C666) for the two individual lab data sets with admixtures. Guidelines are established in this work to help users understand the reliability of the air content and SAM Number relationship within a fresh concrete mixture.Civil Engineerin

Quantifying the efficiency and quality of air void distributions in concrete

This work establishes new ways to measure and examine the air bubble distribution within concrete. This is important to provide freeze thaw durability and resistance to oxychloride formation. These bubbles decrease the fluid pressure on freezing and crystal formation. The quality of the air void distribution is important to maintain from mixing the concrete until it is hardened to ensure durability. If these bubbles are significantly modified or destroyed during construction or are lost over time, then they cannot provide the needed protection. This work studies concrete mixtures immediately after mixing, during placement, after hardening, throughout freezing and thawing cycles, and soaked in chloride solution through temperature changes. The SAM (AASHTO TP 118), Hardened Air Void Analysis (ASTM C), Freeze Thaw Durability Factor (ASTM C666), and Micro computed tomography (Micro-CT) are all utilized to verify and establish the quality of the air void system within concrete mixtures [1-3]

Constrained-Realization Monte-Carlo Method for Hypothesis Testing

We compare two theoretically distinct approaches to generating artificial (or ``surrogate'') data for testing hypotheses about a given data set. The first and more straightforward approach is to fit a single ``best'' model to the original data, and then to generate surrogate data sets that are ``typical realizations'' of that model. The second approach concentrates not on the model but directly on the original data; it attempts to constrain the surrogate data sets so that they exactly agree with the original data for a specified set of sample statistics. Examples of these two approaches are provided for two simple cases: a test for deviations from a gaussian distribution, and a test for serial dependence in a time series. Additionally, we consider tests for nonlinearity in time series based on a Fourier transform (FT) method and on more conventional autoregressive moving-average (ARMA) fits to the data. The comparative performance of hypothesis testing schemes based on these two approaches is found to depend on whether or not the discriminating statistic is pivotal. A statistic is ``pivotal'' if its distribution is the same for all processes consistent with the null hypothesis. The typical-realization method requires that the discriminating statistic satisfy this property. The constrained-realization approach, on the other hand, does not share this requirement, and can provide an accurate and powerful test without having to sacrifice flexibility in the choice of discriminating statistic.Comment: 19 pages, single spaced, all in one postscript file, figs included. Uncompressed .ps file is 425kB (sorry, it's over the 300kB recommendation). Also available on the WWW at http://nis-www.lanl.gov/~jt/Papers/ To appear in Physica

Residential Segregation and Overweight/Obesity Among African-American Adults: A Critical Review

The relationship between residential segregation and overweight/obesity among African-American adults remains unclear. Elucidating that relationship is relevant to efforts to prevent and to reduce racial disparities in obesity. This article provides a critical review of the 11 empirical studies of segregation and overweight/obesity among African-American adults. Results revealed that most studies did not use a valid measure of segregation, many did not use a valid measure of overweight/obesity, and many did not control for neighborhood poverty. Only four (36% of the) studies used valid measures of both segregation and overweight/obesity and also controlled for area-poverty. Those four studies suggest that segregation contributes to overweight and obesity among African-American adults, but that conclusion cannot be drawn with certainty in light of the considerable methodologic problems in this area of research. Suggestions for improving research on this topic are provided

Rapid rise in COVID-19 among young people in England – learning for the future

Objectives We determined the age and sociodemographic distribution of COVID-19 cases between January and September 2020 to identify the group with the highest incidence rates at the beginning of the second wave in England. Study Design We undertook a retrospective cohort study design. Methods SARS-CoV-2 cases in England were linked with area-level socioeconomic status indicators using quintiles of the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). Age-specific incidence rates were stratified by IMD quintile to further assess rates by area-level socioeconomic status. Results Between July and September 2020, SARS-CoV-2 incidence rates were highest amongst those aged 18 to 21 years, reaching rates of 213.9 (18-19 years) and 143.2 (20-21 years) per 100,000 population by week ending 21 September 2022. Stratification of incidence rates by IMD quintile evidenced that, despite high rates observed in the most deprived areas of England amongst the very young and older age groups, the highest rates were observed in the most affluent areas of England amongst the 18- to 21-year-olds. Conclusions The reversal of sociodemographic trend in COVID-19 cases in England for those aged 18 to 21 years at the end of the summer of 2020 and beginning of the second wave showed a novel pattern of COVID-19 risk. For other age groups, rates remained highest for those from more deprived areas, which highlighted persisting inequalities. Combined, this demonstrates the need to reinforce awareness of COVID-19 risk for young people, particularly given the late inclusion of the 16-17-year age group for vaccination administration, as well as continued efforts to reduce impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations

Allelic segregation and independent assortment in <i>T. brucei</i> crosses: proof that the genetic system is Mendelian and involves meiosis

The genetic system on Trypanosoma brucei has been analysed by generating large numbers of independent progeny clones from two crosses, one between two cloned isolates of Trypanosoma brucei brucei and one between cloned isolates of T. b. brucei and Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, Type 2. Micro and minisatellite markers (located on each of the 11 megabase housekeeping chromosomes) were identified, that are heterozygous in one or more of the parental strains and the segregation of alleles at each locus was then determined in each of the progeny clones. The results unequivocally show that alleles segregate in the predicted ratios and that alleles at loci on different chromosomes segregate independently. These data provide statistically robust proof that the genetic system is Mendelian and that meiosis occurs. Segregation distortion is observed with the minisatellite locus located on chromosome I of T. b. gambiense Type 2 and neighboring markers, but analysis of markers further along this chromosome did not show distortion leading to the conclusion that this is due to selection acting on one part of this chromosome. The results obtained are discussed in relation to previously proposed models of mating and support the occurrence of meiosis to form haploid gametes that then fuse to form the diploid progeny in a single round of mating

The genetic map and comparative analysis with the physical map of Trypanosoma brucei

Trypanosoma brucei is the causative agent of African sleeping sickness in humans and contributes to the debilitating disease ‘Nagana’ in cattle. To date we know little about the genes that determine drug resistance, host specificity, pathogenesis and virulence in these parasites. The availability of the complete genome sequence and the ability of the parasite to undergo genetic exchange have allowed genetic investigations into this parasite and here we report the first genetic map of T.brucei for the genome reference stock TREU 927, comprising of 182 markers and 11 major linkage groups, that correspond to the 11 previously identified chromosomes. The genetic map provides 90% probability of a marker being 11 cM from any given locus. Its comparison to the available physical map has revealed the average physical size of a recombination unit to be 15.6 Kb/cM. The genetic map coupled with the genome sequence and the ability to undertake crosses presents a new approach to identifying genes relevant to the disease and its prevention in this important pathogen through forward genetic analysis and positional cloning

The Green Bank Ammonia Survey (GAS): First Results of NH3 mapping the Gould Belt

We present an overview of the first data release (DR1) and first-look science from the Green Bank Ammonia Survey (GAS). GAS is a Large Program at the Green Bank Telescope to map all Gould Belt star-forming regions with $A_V \gtrsim 7$ mag visible from the northern hemisphere in emission from NH$_3$ and other key molecular tracers. This first release includes the data for four regions in Gould Belt clouds: B18 in Taurus, NGC 1333 in Perseus, L1688 in Ophiuchus, and Orion A North in Orion. We compare the NH$_3$ emission to dust continuum emission from Herschel, and find that the two tracers correspond closely. NH$_3$ is present in over 60\% of lines-of-sight with $A_V \gtrsim 7$ mag in three of the four DR1 regions, in agreement with expectations from previous observations. The sole exception is B18, where NH$_3$ is detected toward ~ 40\% of lines-of-sight with $A_V \gtrsim 7$ mag. Moreover, we find that the NH$_3$ emission is generally extended beyond the typical 0.1 pc length scales of dense cores. We produce maps of the gas kinematics, temperature, and NH$_3$ column densities through forward modeling of the hyperfine structure of the NH$_3$ (1,1) and (2,2) lines. We show that the NH$_3$ velocity dispersion, ${\sigma}_v$, and gas kinetic temperature, $T_K$, vary systematically between the regions included in this release, with an increase in both the mean value and spread of ${\sigma}_v$ and $T_K$ with increasing star formation activity. The data presented in this paper are publicly available.Comment: 33 pages, 27 figures, accepted to ApJS. Datasets are publicly available: https://dataverse.harvard.edu/dataverse/GAS_DR

Network Analysis Reveals Distinct Clinical Syndromes Underlying Acute Mountain Sickness

Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a common problem among visitors at high altitude, and may progress to life-threatening pulmonary and cerebral oedema in a minority of cases. International consensus defines AMS as a constellation of subjective, non-specific symptoms. Specifically, headache, sleep disturbance, fatigue and dizziness are given equal diagnostic weighting. Different pathophysiological mechanisms are now thought to underlie headache and sleep disturbance during acute exposure to high altitude. Hence, these symptoms may not belong together as a single syndrome. Using a novel visual analogue scale (VAS), we sought to undertake a systematic exploration of the symptomatology of AMS using an unbiased, data-driven approach originally designed for analysis of gene expression. Symptom scores were collected from 292 subjects during 1110 subject-days at altitudes between 3650 m and 5200 m on Apex expeditions to Bolivia and Kilimanjaro. Three distinct patterns of symptoms were consistently identified. Although fatigue is a ubiquitous finding, sleep disturbance and headache are each commonly reported without the other. The commonest pattern of symptoms was sleep disturbance and fatigue, with little or no headache. In subjects reporting severe headache, 40% did not report sleep disturbance. Sleep disturbance correlates poorly with other symptoms of AMS (Mean Spearman correlation 0.25). These results challenge the accepted paradigm that AMS is a single disease process and describe at least two distinct syndromes following acute ascent to high altitude. This approach to analysing symptom patterns has potential utility in other clinical syndromes