WhatIF: R Software for Evaluating Counterfactuals

WhatIf is an R package that implements the methods for evaluating counterfactuals introduced in King and Zeng (2006a) and King and Zeng (2006b). It offers easy-to-use techniques for assessing a counterfactual's model dependence without having to conduct sensitivity testing over specified classes of models. These same methods can be used to approximate the common support of the treatment and control groups in causal inference.

Allotments As Cultural Artifacts

In England, allotment land-use practices have evolved from the 18th century. They now have a complex contemporary context with agricultural/ horticultural elements. Historically, allotments began as a provision to enable the poor to have food. Further, by law, allotments enabled the poor the right to have access to land. This paper is an exploration of allotments and allotment plot holders in Harlow, England. It examines how deeply-rooted allotments and gardening are in England’s culture and how it reflects the identities and values of tenants. As cultural artifacts, allotments are still about having the right for access to land, but allotments are no longer exclusively for the poor. People from all walks of life now make a personal choice to become plot holders. This inquiry demonstrates a multiplicity of meanings and identities reflected in, and ranging from, the sensory engagement with the land to traditional knowledge about gardening. Further, this inquiry shows the diversity of the allotment/gardening culture. How plot holders create their version of an allotment is enmeshed with personal, local and national ideals, demonstrating innovation, creativity and ingenuity. Globally, allotments are a wellspring for bio-diversity and environmentally friendly practices. Locally, these are social spaces linked to pride, well-being and identities—ideal for community building. Résumé En Angleterre, les pratiques relatives à l’usage des jardins familiaux ont évolué depuis le XVIIIe siècle. Leur contexte contemporain est à présent complexe, avec des éléments agricoles/horticoles. Historiquement, les jardins familiaux ont été attribués aux pauvres pour qu’ils puissent en retirer de la nourriture. De plus, légalement, les jardins familiaux conféraient aux pauvres le droit d’avoir accès à la terre. Cet article explore les jardins familiaux et ceux qui détiennent des lots de terres à Harlow, en Angleterre. Il examine à quel point les jardins familiaux et le jardinage sont enracinés dans la culture anglaise, et comment ils reflètent les identités et les valeurs de leurs locataires. En tant qu’artefacts culturels, les jardins familiaux signifient encore le droit d’avoir accès à la terre, mais ils ne sont plus exclusivement réservés aux pauvres. Toutes sortes de gens font aujourd’hui le choix personnel de devenir tenanciers d’un lot. Cette enquête démontre l’existence d’une multitude de sens et d’identités qui se reflètent et qui se déploient depuis l’engagement sensoriel avec la terre jusqu’au savoir traditionnel concernant le jardinage. En outre, cette enquête démontre la diversité de cette culture des jardins familiaux. La manière dont chacun des détenteurs de lots crée sa propre version du jardin familial s’entremêle à ses idéaux personnels, locaux et nationaux, démontrant innovation, créativité et ingéniosité. De manière générale, les jardins familiaux sont des sources de biodiversité et de pratiques bénéfiques à l’environnement. Sur le plan local, ce sont des espaces sociaux liés à la fierté, au bien-être et aux identités – ce qui est idéal pour la construction communautaire

Active Recreation Incentives for Low Income Adults Living in Rural Communities

This paper examines whether subsidy programs for low-income adults increase participation rates for active recreation. Focus groups of 30 low-income individuals from Norfolk County between the ages of 25 and 55 were conducted to discuss the barriers to active recreation, in addition to less intensive interviews with residents of seven rural single-tier municipalities in Ontario. The findings reveal that a subsidy program alone does not achieve the goal of increasing participation rates for active recreation and the challenges associated with time, energy, childcare, motivation, transportation, safety, the location of facilities, and cost must also be addressed

A Structural and Biochemical Analysis of the Drosophila Protein Period

Circadian clocks regulate changes in behavior and physiology that occur with a period of approximately 24 hours and are based on negative feedback loops. The molecular components of circadian clocks are conserved among animals, and a key element in all such clocks is the protein Period (PER), a circadian transcription inhibitor. The stable production, posttranslational modification, and nuclear translocation of PER all contribute to the timing of the clock. This work describes the synthesis and purification of various Drosophila PER fragments for biochemical and crystallographic analysis. Several stable PER fragments are identified, including one crystallizable fragment. The structure of the crystallized fragment is provided, and the implications of a critical intermolecular PER-PER interaction are explored. The crystallized region of PER includes the PAS (PER-ARNT-SIM) domain (230-512) as well as two subsequent helices (512-575). Unlike a previously published structure for a similar fragment [1], this structure shows a closed PER homodimer that relies on a flexible hydrophobic interaction between the final helix of one molecule and the PAS domain of its partner. Biochemical and mutational analyses of the crystallized fragment confirm the robust yet dynamic quality of this interaction. A critical residue in the dimerization interaction, Valine 243 is positioned at the center of the hydrophobic interface. Previous research has established that a lengthenedperiod phenotype in flies is caused by a point mutation at this residue, which changes the valine to asparitc acid [2]. Further studies have shown that the long period of flies bearing this mutation (perLong flies) results from a delay in the PER nuclear translocation [3]. Disruption of the hydrophobic molecular interface introduced by V243D suggests the delay in nuclear entry associated with perLong may be related to a defect in the PER self-binding interaction demonstrated in the crystal structure. The proximity of the observed PER-PER binding interface to the proposed PER-TIM binding interfaces also introduces the possibility that PER self binding may affect on the PER-TIM interaction. This work concludes with a proposed model for how disrupting the observed PER-PER intermolecular interaction may delay nuclear entry

The language of play. A cross linguistic look at notions of 'play' in STEM engagement activities

Over the past decade, considerable efforts have been directed towards better understanding how to create spaces, including both those in formal education (e.g. schools, universities) and in out-of-school settings (e.g. museums, science centres), in which the widest diversity of children and young people feel that STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) is ‘for them’ (Archer et al., 2015; Dawson, 2014). Such STEM engagement programmes and activities are frequently described as ‘playful’ and ‘fun’ ways to engage with aspects of STEM. In recent years, many such programmes have included elements of coding – developing skills linked to computer programming (Duncan, Bell & Tanimoto, 2014) and making – informal, creative and collaborative design and building projects in the arts, sciences and engineering (Martin, 2015). Notably, coding now forms part of the English school curriculum, whilst makerspaces have been established in a range of UK-based educational settings, including The Life Science Centre, Newcastle; Fab Lab, Exeter Library, Exeter; and The Invention Rooms, Imperial College, London, UK

Acupuncture for Sleep Disturbances in Veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has emerged as a significant problem among Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) veterans. Disturbed sleep is one of the most frequently reported symptoms among OEF/OIF veterans with PTSD. PTSD itself is impairing, but the burden of this disorder is likely heightened when accompanied by sleep disturbances. Sleep disturbances have been associated with a 75-90% increased risk of co-morbid conditions, increased levels of depression and anxiety, daytime sleepiness and fatigue, reduced psychomotor performance, diminished work productivity, and decreased quality of life. These consequences of disturbed sleep emphasize the critical need for additional evidence based therapies to treat PTSD related sleep disturbances among OEF/OIF veterans with PTSD. Increasingly, non-pharmacologic therapies are being investigated for sleep disturbance among PTSD patients. However, few investigations have examined the efficacy of Complementary and Alternative (CAM) therapies on sleep disturbances among veterans with PTSD. CAM practices are emerging in the Department of Defense, yet, there are a limited number of well designed methodologically sound studies to investigate CAM therapies. The overall purpose of this study was to conduct a small scale feasibility study to examine whether the use of an auricular acupuncture regimen improves sleep quality for OEF/OIF veterans with PTSD and self-reported sleep disturbance. Our approach was to conduct a small scale feasibility study to test the acceptability of an auricular acupuncture regimen for sleep disturbance, examine feasibility of study design, and test efficacy of an auricular acupuncture regimen for sleep disturbance among OEF/OIF veterans with PTSD

Predicting the effects of sand erosion on collector surfaces in CSP plants

This paper presents a methodology to predict the optical performance and physical topography of the glass collector surfaces of any given CSP plant in the presence of sand and dust storms, providing that local climate conditions are known and representative sand and dust particles samples are available. Using existing meteorological data for a defined CSP plant in Egypt, plus sand and dust samples from two desert locations in Libya, we describe how to derive air speed, duration, and sand concentrations to use within the Global CSP Laboratory sand erosion simulation rig at Cranfield University. This then allows us to predict the optical performance of parabolic trough collector glass after an extended period by the use of accelerated ageing. However the behavior of particles in sandstorms is complex and has prompted a theoretical analysis of sand particle dynamics which is also described in this paper