Why Deporting Immigrants for “Crimes Involving Moral Turpitude” is Now Unconstitutional

In the best of times, immigrants should only be deported according to the rule of law and not by the whim of executive branch officials. Now, it is imperative. Yet the statute authorizing removal of immigrants for “crimes involving moral turpitude” invites officials to base their prosecutorial choices on political or personal views. As a result, defense attorneys advising their clients on the immigration consequences of pleas have no basis for prediction. Although the Supreme Court long ago rejected the argument that the “moral turpitude” clause was void for vagueness, one of the Court’s most recent decisions now makes that conclusion unsupportable. The notion that due process permits officials to banish legal permanent residents based on “moral turpitude,” which never comported with common sense, is now legally incorrect

Why Deporting Immigrants for “Crimes Involving Moral Turpitude” is Now Unconstitutional

In the best of times, immigrants should only be deported according to the rule of law and not by the whim of executive branch officials. Now, it is imperative. Yet the statute authorizing removal of immigrants for “crimes involving moral turpitude” invites officials to base their prosecutorial choices on political or personal views. As a result, defense attorneys advising their clients on the immigration consequences of pleas have no basis for prediction. Although the Supreme Court long ago rejected the argument that the “moral turpitude” clause was void for vagueness, one of the Court’s most recent decisions now makes that conclusion unsupportable. The notion that due process permits officials to banish legal permanent residents based on “moral turpitude,” which never comported with common sense, is now legally incorrect

Effects of Rate of Drying, Life History Phase, and Ecotype on the Ability of the Moss Bryum Argenteum to Survive Desiccation Events and the Influence on Conservation and Selection of Material for Restoration

Desiccation stress is frequently experienced by the moss Bryum argenteum and can influence survival, propagation and niche selection. We attempted to disentangle the interacting factors of life history phase (five categories) and rate of desiccation (time allotted for induction of desiccation tolerance) for 13 ecotypes of B. argenteum. Using chlorophyll fluorescence as a stress index, we determined how these parameters influenced desiccation tolerance. Rate of drying and life phase significantly affected desiccation tolerance. The reaction norms of desiccation tolerance displayed by the 13 ecotypes showed a substantial degree of variation in phenotypic plasticity. We observed differences in survival and fluorescence between rapid and slow drying events in juveniles. These same drying applications did not produce as large of a response for adult shoots (which consistently displayed high values). Some juvenile and protonemal ecotypes, such as those from the southwest United States, possessed higher innate tolerance to rapid drying, and greater resilience compared to ecotypes sourced from mesic localities in the United States. These results show a complex nuanced response to desiccation with ecotypes displaying a range of responses to desiccation reflecting both inherently different capacities for tolerating desiccation as well as variation in capacity for phenotypic plasticity. Our results suggest that we should expect few short-term effects of climate change due to high desiccation tolerance of adult shoots, but significant adverse long-term effects on colony establishment due to low tolerance of protonema and juvenile shoots. Further, we would recommend that future studies using mosses for habitat restoration of aridlands consider the desiccation tolerance capacity of individual ecotypes used for cultivation and later re-introduction. Understanding how mosses respond to desiccation is essential to interpret ecological roles, habitat preferences, selective pressures, and responses to climate change, and to estimate the potential effects of climate changes on bryophyte species and populations

The Colonist\u27s Concrete: A Preservation Plan for the Seventeenth-Century Tabby Floor Found at the Miller Archaeological Site

In 2009, a seventeenth-century floor was discovered at the Miller Archaeological Site at Charles Towne Landing. Unearthed but covered with plastic sheeting since then, the floor is a remnant of Charleston’s first English settlement. Labeled on site as tabby, the material is typically comprised of oyster shells, sand, lime, and water. The lack of whole shell in the floor’s material suggests a role in the broader pattern of augmented earthen flooring deriving from the Caribbean, and in turn, Africa and Europe. Deteriorating at an unknown rate since its discovery, it is the hope of South Carolina State Parks to employ a mitigation plan for the floor that both conserves and interprets it simultaneously. Through historic, analytical, and precedent research, this thesis provides the information required to chose an appropriate conservation plan for the Miller Site. The goal is to encourage longevity of the floor and public awareness of tabby, mortar, and other forms of earthen construction. Preserving and exhibiting the floor at the Miller Site is another step in the ongoing research of tabby as a material, and the best methods of its conservation. Previous surveys of existing tabby in the Southeast suggest the floor is a rare asset. The best way to ensure the longevity of the floor is to understand the physical characteristics and degradation patterns. If interpreted correctly, the Miller Site will attract both visitors, and encourage scholars to explore tabby’s application in the Southeast

Why Mosquitoes Bite Some People More Than Others: Metabolic Correlates of Human Attraction in AEDES AEGYPTI

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are the principal vectors of two major infectious diseases that plague the developing world today: dengue fever and chikungunya, with dengue fever alone resulting in ~400 million total yearly infections, and ~24,000 deaths (Bhatt et al., 2013). Understanding the biology behind Ae. aegypti attraction to humans is critical for developing novel strategies to combat these diseases. Yet, even the basic act of how mosquitoes choose one human host over another is poorly understood. Many previous studies on differential attraction have focused on small, homogenous subject populations and addressed a single hypothesis. We took the opposite strategy and studied a large, diverse 150-subject cohort, capturing a multitude of variables that may be involved in host selection. Importantly, our study examined the previously unexplored possibility that mosquito preference may be correlated with differences blood metabolites between subjects. We developed the uniport olfactometer as a method for discriminating subject attraction. Within our study population we distinguished three clusters of subjects who were differentially attractive to mosquitoes. We performed metabolic profiling with subject plasma samples and acquired relative concentrations of 613 different metabolites. We also collected information pertaining to 41 other variables including demographic information, self-reported lifestyle factors, self-reported reaction to mosquito bites, vital signs, blood type, a complete blood count panel, and clinical blood analysis. Using a variety of statistical methods for feature selection, we narrowed this list of variables and arrived at two preliminary models for mosquito attraction. These models explain 24.1% of subject variation in mosquito attraction, and approximately 19.7% of this explanatory power is due to blood metabolites alone. Metabolites within the amino acid superpathway, and specifically the histidine subpathway were negatively correlated with mosquito attraction. Conversely, molecules within the lipid metabolism superpathway, specifically long chain fatty acids and monoacylglycerols, were positively correlated with mosquito attraction. This is the first study to correlate human blood metabolomic components with selective attraction of mosquitoes to hosts. Our work establishes a framework to study the causality of these correlates, and determine the mechanisms underlying their effect on mosquito choice

Normal

This poem reflects on various conversations from a parent's perspective when someone uses the word "normal" to describe a child who has a disability

Qualitative Study of Collaboration Between Independent Reading Specialists and Elementary Classroom Teachers

Abstract The failure of educators to meet the needs of elementary students who require separated, differentiated, and intensive reading interventions (Tier 3) has been attributed to the scarcity of administrative resources and a lack of effective collaboration between reading specialists and classroom teachers. Experts opine that common barriers to effective collegial collaboration between institutional reading specialists, who are employed by the school, and classroom teachers include: an unsupportive school culture, the classroom teachers’ fear of losing pedagogical autonomy, the absence of mutual trust and interdependence between the reading specialists and their students’ classroom teachers, and the inability of reading specialists and classroom teachers to resolve interprofessional conflicts. These perceived barriers are heighted when engaged independent reading specialists, who are not employed by the school, attempt to collaborate with unengaged classroom teachers of their students for the purpose of coherent lesson planning. The findings of this qualitative case study revealed five recommendations for practical application that enable independent reading specialists to more effectively collaborate with their struggling readers’ elementary school classroom teachers and also support the readers’ classroom curriculum. Successful collaboration between independent reading specialists and classroom teachers is essential to improving the academic achievement of struggling readers who depend on effective Tier 3 reading intervention. Keywords: reading specialist, elementary education teacher, collaboration, conflict resolution, leadershi

Competitive Edge Teaching: A Comparison of Differentiated Reading Instruction in the K-3 Elementary Classroom to the Sports Psychology Behind High School Athletic Coaching Methods

This study explored the similarities between the philosophies and techniques used by select high school athletic coaches and select elementary reading teachers. The study shows parallels between the psychology behind coaching methodology within high school athletics and differentiated instruction within the elementary reading classroom. The purpose of this research was to develop a pathway to influence the increased implementation of differentiated instruction in elementary schools by determining and highlighting these parallels. The design of the study is a triangular analysis of interview questions conducted in a face-to-face interview format, document analysis, and surveys to show the parallels between the planning and implementation approaches. The data gathered from these measures generated patterns and identified strong parallels of structure between instructional delivery in the two areas. We learned that with a better focus on aligning prioritization within these parallels, school leaders have the opportunity to shed new light on differentiated instruction, grounded in the UDL model, to better promote and foster student success in the classrooms. Perception is reality, and it is the goal that this study provides a positive perception of differentiated instruction

Mid-infrared wavelength- and frequency-modulation spectroscopy with a pump-modulated singly-resonant optical parametric oscillator

We describe the implementation of the wavelength- and frequency-modulation spectroscopy techniques using a singly-resonant optical parametric oscillator (OPO) pumped by a fiber-amplified diode laser. Frequency modulation of the diode laser was transferred to the OPO¿s mid-infrared idler output, avoiding the need for external modulation devices. This approach thus provides a means of implementing these important techniques with powerful, widely tunable, mid-infrared sources while retaining the simple, flexible modulation properties of diode lasers