An Historical Analysis of Alien Land Law: Washington Territory and State 1853-1889

The purpose of this Article is to analyze the historical development of Washington\u27s alien land law from the birth of the territory in 1853 to the drafting of the state constitution in 1889. Because alien land law necessarily involves relationships among people, this Article focuses not only on historical legal sources such as statutes, constitutional material, and judicial opinions, but also on the underlying social forces that compelled change in the law. This Article consists of three sections, the first of which is a brief discussion of the common-law roots of alien land disability in feudal England and its subsequent application and transformation in colonial and post-Revolutionary War America. The second section traces the origins of Washington Territory\u27s first alien land statute and considers the factors responsible for the pre-statehood evolution of that law. The third section explores the drafting of the state\u27s constitutional provision that restricted the landowning rights of aliens. The Article concludes by summarizing the main themes of the historical development of Washington\u27s alien land law

Advantageous comparison: using twitter responses to understand similarities between cybercriminals (“Yahoo boys”) and politicians (“Yahoo men”)

This article is about the manifestations of similarities between two seemingly distinct groups: cybercriminals and politicians. Which linguistic strategies do Twitter users use to express their opinions on cybercriminals and politicians? The study undertakes a qualitative analysis of ‘engaged’ tweets of a Nigerian law enforcement agency. We analyzed and coded over 100,000 ‘engaged’ tweets based on a component of mechanisms of moral disengagement (i.e., advantageous comparison), a linguistic device. The results reveal how respondents defend the actions of online fraudsters (“the powerless group”) by strategically comparing them to the wrongful acts of corrupt politicians (“the powerful group”). Similarly, the results show how respondents positioned this linguistic strategy to compare “the powerless group” (online fraudsters) and “the powerful group” (politicians) in society. Indeed, tweet responses suggest that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) generally looks downwards for culprits (i.e., online fraudsters) while ignoring fraudulent politicians. We conclude that the process by which some actions are interpreted as a crime compared to others is a moral enterprise

Arthroscopic transosseous rotator cuff repair: A prospective study on cost savings, surgical time, and outcomes

Objectives: Health expenditures in the United States are outpacing national income, and affordability has become a major policy issue. Over 500,000 rotator cuff repairs (RCR) are performed annually in the United States making RCR a potential source of cost savings. Arthroscopic trans-osseous equivalent (TOE) repair using a double row of anchors has shown superior biomechanical strength compared to other techniques, but at a higher cost. The arthroscopic transosseous (TO) repair is a novel technique allowing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair to be performed without suture anchors. Arthroscopic TO repair may be a means to provide similarly excellent patient outcomes while lowering the cost of care. The primary purpose is to compare the price differential and time of surgery for an arthroscopic rotator cuff repair using anchorless TO repair verses an anchor trans-osseous equivalent (TOE) repair. A secondary purpose of the study was to evaluate outcomes at 6 months postoperatively. Methods: A prospective, case-controlled study evaluating arthroscopic rotator cuff repair using two techniques was performed. The study group consisting of 21 patients undergoing TO repair was compared to a control group consisting of 22 patients undergoing TOE repair. The groups were controlled for size of tear, biceps treatment, acromioplasty, distal clavicle excision, and labral pathology. The primary outcome measures were surgical time as well as total cost of implants and equipment for each surgery, determined by an independent third party, Atlanticare Hospital. Secondary outcomes were changes in the SST, VAS, and SANE scores. Results: Mean total surgical implant/equipment cost per procedure for TOE repair was $2348.03 (SD 490.30) and for TO repair was$1204.97 (SD 330.69; p\u3c0.0001). Mean cut to close time for TOE repair was 85 minutes (95% CI is 77-90) verses 74 (95% CI = 71-98) for TO repair. A log rank test revealed no difference in time (p =0.95). A linear regression model was developed to evaluate the change in SST, VAS, and SANE scores from pre-op to 6 months follow-up. Our study was underpowered but no difference in outcome was observed. Conclusion: Arthroscopic TO rotator cuff repair is a cost savings and time neutral technique compared to TOE repair. A mean of $1100 can be saved in surgical cost per case. In a country that performs over 500,000 RCRs annually, utilizing a TO repair technique can provide substantial cost savings to the healthcare system. © The Author(s) 2015

An assessment of convicted cryptocurrency fraudsters

We examine cryptocurrency fraud cases prosecuted by Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). We considered the lens of the Space Transition Theory (STT) in exploring the dynamics of these digital crimes. Our data analysis reveals common types of fraud, including cryptocurrency investment schemes. The results show an exclusive male demographic (100%), with the majority under 30 years old and only a quarter possessing a degree, providing insights into the socio-demographic characteristics of cryptocurrency fraudsters. Additionally, while most fraudsters (55%) targeted victims in the United States, Bitcoin, leveraging blockchain technology, was the most commonly used method (46%) for cryptocurrency fraud. Our examination of the methods and mediums used for cryptocurrency fraud supports some aspects of STT, while others do not. We advocate for a multifaceted strategy that prioritises stringent regulation, implementation, and heightened scrutiny of digital currency ecosystems in Nigeria and beyond. This study contributes to the broader discourse on cybercrime prevention and enforcement by emphasising the novel methodological approach utilised

The influence of emotional reaction on help seeking by victims of school bullying

Research has started to focus on how victims of school bullying cope, but there is still very little understanding if why pupils cope in one way and not another. This paper aimed to examine the effects of gender, school-stage, frequency of victimization and different emotions (anger, vengeance, self-pity, indifference, and helplessness) upon the choice of social support that children report using. Questionnaires were completed by 6282 Maltese schoolchildren aged between 9 and 14 years old. Analyses revealed that specific patterns of emotion and victimization predict whether pupils report using certain sources of social support. Results are discussed in relation to their relevance for possible intervention, future research needs and implications for the theoretical framework used

Outcomes of Shoulder Arthroplasty Performed for Postinfectious Arthritis.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the functional outcomes, infection rate, and complications associated with shoulder arthroplasty for sequelae of prior septic arthritis. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of 17 patients who underwent shoulder arthroplasty for sequelae of septic arthritis. Patients were analyzed for patient-reported outcomes, complications, and reoperations. Results: The 17 patients in this cohort were an average age of 65.4 ± 12.2 years old, were 58.8% male, and had an average body mass index of 27.9 ± 4.1 kg/m Conclusions: Shoulder arthroplasty after septic arthritis had inconsistent functional outcomes and high complication rates but no reinfection

The development of an ultrasonic Doppler bed-load velocimeter

Includes bibliography.A instrument has been developed for measuring the velocity of solid particles adjacent to the pipe wall in a solids-liquid pipeline. It has been based on the Doppler shift principle and employs ultrasonic methods for detecting the bed-load particle velocity. Its application is in the mining industry for measuring the bed-load velocity of high concentration slurries such as in tailings and backfill hydraulic pipelines. Analyses have been conducted to investigate methods for increasing the accuracy of detecting the bed-load particle velocity. These methods have been implemented in the design of the transducer and the electronic circuitry. The system was tested using a simulation test-rig, hydraulic test-loops and at two industrial mining locations

Model reconstruction from temporal data for coupled oscillator networks

In a complex system, the interactions between individual agents often lead to emergent collective behavior like spontaneous synchronization, swarming, and pattern formation. The topology of the network of interactions can have a dramatic influence over those dynamics. In many studies, researchers start with a specific model for both the intrinsic dynamics of each agent and the interaction network, and attempt to learn about the dynamics that can be observed in the model. Here we consider the inverse problem: given the dynamics of a system, can one learn about the underlying network? We investigate arbitrary networks of coupled phase-oscillators whose dynamics are characterized by synchronization. We demonstrate that, given sufficient observational data on the transient evolution of each oscillator, one can use machine learning methods to reconstruct the interaction network and simultaneously identify the parameters of a model for the intrinsic dynamics of the oscillators and their coupling.Comment: 27 pages, 7 figures, 16 table