Lightning safety in sports

This issue of eMedRef provides information to clinicians on the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and therapeutics of athletes struck by lightning

Inter-dependence of the volume and stress ensembles and equipartition in statistical mechanics of granular systems

We discuss the statistical mechanics of granular matter and derive several significant results. First, we show that, contrary to common belief, the volume and stress ensembles are inter-dependent, necessitating the use of both. We use the combined ensemble to calculate explicitly expectation values of structural and stress-related quantities for two-dimensional systems. We thence demonstrate that structural properties may depend on the angoricity tensor and that stress-based quantities may depend on the compactivity. This calls into question previous statistical mechanical analyses of static granular systems and related derivations of expectation values. Second, we establish the existence of an intriguing equipartition principle - the total volume is shared equally amongst both structural and stress-related degrees of freedom. Third, we derive an expression for the compactivity that makes it possible to quantify it from macroscopic measurements.Comment: 5 pages, including 2 figures, To appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Developing Standard Production Cost Factors for Major Defense Acquisition Program (MDAP) Platforms

Cost estimators commonly use the analogy and factor method when developing Major Defense Acquisition Program (MDAP) estimates. Previous studies discussing and developing factors for the production lifecycle phase have been limited in scope and statistical analysis efforts. This research significantly expands the currently available toolkit for Department of Defense cost analysts by updating the current database of historical data and exploring potential relationships through statistical testing. Specifically, 3,462 unique factors were created across nine level II Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) elements broken down into four categories; commodity type, contract type, contractor type, and service. The production cost factors were created using data points from 145 MDAPs spanning from 1953 to 2018. Calculated factors were statistically tested for significant differences in their respective WBS element (by category) using non-parametric methods. The updated database and findings will aid analysts in quickly identifying categories that may impact their cost estimate. The practical and statistical analysis performed provide cost estimators with guidance and an improved toolkit for production cost factors

Circumventing the Crime Victims\u27 Rights Act: A Critical Analysis of the Eleventh Circuit\u27s Decision Upholding Jeffrey Epstein\u27s Secret Non-Prosecution Agreement

Whether crime victims have rights before formal criminal charges are filed has recently come to the fore in one of the most publicized criminal cases in recent memory. For more than twelve years, victims of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking organization have attempted to invalidate a non-prosecution agreement (NPA) entered between Epstein and federal prosecutors. The victims have argued that because prosecutors deliberately concealed the NPA from them, the prosecutors violated the federal Crime Victim’s Rights Act (CVRA). On April 14, 2020, a divided panel of the Eleventh Circuit entered a surprising ruling, rejecting the victims’ argument. The panel refused to find a CVRA violation, reasoning that because the Government never filed federal charges, the CVRA was never triggered. On August 7, 2020, the full Eleventh Circuit vacated the earlier panel decision and agreed to rehear the case en banc. This article critiques the earlier panel decision and explains why the Eleventh Circuit en banc should proceed in the opposite direction. Under the now-vacated panel decision, “secret” justice was permitted, depriving crime victims in the Eleventh Circuit of any CVRA rights until the Government formally files charges. This would have created perverse incentives for the Government to negotiate secret agreements within the Eleventh Circuit rather than elsewhere, such as in the adjoining Fifth Circuit. This article concludes that the Eleventh Circuit en banc should recognize that the CVRA extends rights to crime victims even before charges are filed. The article also urges Congress to clarify and amend the CVRA to ensure that secret NPAs are not permitted in future federal criminal cases and, more broadly, to protect crime victims during federal criminal investigations

Mobilities, moorings and boundary marking in developing semantic technologies in educational practices

While much attention has been given to the changing spaces of education introduced by new technologies, the impact of spatial theory on the discussion of such education is less well developed. Drawing upon empirical evidence from the Ensemble research project, this article examines spatially some of the possibilities and constraints that arise in the introduction of semantic technologies into case-based learning in higher education. While the affordances of the semantic web provide a technological basis for the development of flexible tools and associated pedagogies in ways that could enhance case-based learning, there are many tensions in this process. In this article, we draw upon certain aspects of spatial theory to examine the ways in which the mobilities and openings made possible by the introduction of semantic technologies also entail mooring and boundary marking in order to give the technologies specifically educational purposes. We suggest how educational practices can be considered theoretically as spatial orderings and some of the implications

CIRCUMVENTING THE CRIME VICTIMS’ RIGHTS ACT: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT’S DECISION UPHOLDING JEFFREY EPSTEIN’S SECRET NONPROSECUTION AGREEMENT

Whether crime victims have rights before the formal filing of criminal charges has recently come to the fore in one of the most publicized criminal cases in memory. For more than twelve years, victims of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking organization have attempted to invalidate a non-prosecution agreement (NPA) entered between Epstein and federal prosecutors. The victims have argued that because prosecutors deliberately concealed the NPA from them, the prosecutors violated the federal Crime Victims’ Rights Act (CVRA). But in April 2020, a divided panel of Eleventh Circuit Judges entered a surprising ruling, rejecting the victims’ argument. The panel refused to find a CVRA violation, reasoning that because the Government never filed federal charges, the CVRA was never triggered. In August 2020, the full Eleventh Circuit vacated the earlier panel decision and agreed to rehear the case en banc. This Article critiques the earlier panel decision and explains why the Eleventh Circuit en banc should proceed in the opposite direction. Under the now-vacated panel decision, “secret” justice was permitted, depriving crime victims in the Eleventh Circuit of any CVRA rights until the Government formally files charges. This decision would have created perverse incentives for the Government to negotiate secret agreements within the Eleventh Circuit rather than elsewhere, such as in the adjoining Fifth Circuit. This Article concludes that the Eleventh Circuit en banc should recognize that the CVRA extends rights to crime victims even before charges are filed. The Article also urges Congress to clarify and amend the CVRA to ensure that secret NPAs are not permitted in future federal criminal cases and, more broadly, to protect crime victims during federal criminal investigations

A selfconsistent theory of current-induced switching of magnetization

A selfconsistent theory of the current-induced switching of magnetization using nonequilibrium Keldysh formalism is developed for a junction of two ferromagnets separated by a nonmagnetic spacer. It is shown that the spin-transfer torques responsible for current-induced switching of magnetization can be calculated from first principles in a steady state when the magnetization of the switching magnet is stationary. The spin-transfer torque is expressed in terms of one-electron surface Green functions for the junction cut into two independent parts by a cleavage plane immediately to the left and right of the switching magnet. The surface Green functions are calculated using a tight-binding Hamiltonian with parameters determined from a fit to an {\it ab initio} band structure.This treatment yields the spin transfer torques taking into account rigorously contributions from all the parts of the junction. To calculate the hysteresis loops of resistance versus current, and hence to determine the critical current for switching, the microscopically calculated spin-transfer torques are used as an input into the phenomenological Landau-Lifshitz equation with Gilbert damping. The present calculations for Co/Cu/Co(111) show that the critical current for switching is $\approx 10^7A/cm^2$, which is in good agreement with experiment.Comment: 23 pages, 16 figure

Mood and Anxiety Disorders, Measurement, and Migrant Groups in Ontario

Our objectives were to: (1) evaluate the current literature on the epidemiology of mood or anxiety disorders among migrant groups; (2) assess how current tools for measuring mood or anxiety disorders at the population level influence our understanding of the epidemiology by a) analyzing the concordance between two commonly used population measures, and b) using a Bayesian analysis to create a combined estimate using both measures; (3) estimate the prevalence and effects of potential risk factors on the prevalence of mood or anxiety disorders among first-generation migrant groups compared to the general population in Ontario. We conducted a systematic review and multiple secondary data analyses using data available from ICES to complete our objectives. Data sources included the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey–Mental Health, in addition to health administrative data sources in Ontario. Canadian evidence suggests the prevalence of mood or anxiety disorders was consistently lower among migrant groups compared to estimates from the general population. Our findings suggest there was low concordance between survey and administrative data derived estimates of mood or anxiety disorders among migrant and non-migrant groups. Our Bayesian analysis suggests that the true prevalence of mood or anxiety disorders may lie between estimates derived from administrative and survey data. Our findings also indicate that the relationship between migration and mood or anxiety disorders is variable depending on migrant specific risk factors including migrant class and region of birth. Our work highlights the importance of contextualizing population-level data sources to accurately inform policy

Creating the Southern Region 4-H Volunteer Advisory Group

The SR4-HVAG combines the efforts of states to provide quality educational programming for volunteers and Extension professionals using an advisory group system. An advisory group rather than a council was created because the group provides programmatic input rather than sets policy. The purposes of the SR4-HVAG are to: provide a mechanism for volunteer input and perspective regarding educational, programmatic and developmental needs of volunteers and strengthen communication and delivery systems that provide for the continued sharing of resources and programmatic efforts in the Southern Region. Each state is represented by two volunteers and is facilitated by a state volunteerism specialist