Five Steps to a Better U: Improving the Crime-fighting Visa

Congress created the U nonimmigrant status to assist noncitizen vic- tims of serious crime and to encourage them to assist law enforce- ment in the investigation of that crime. Despite these laudable goals, the process has been flawed since the outset. U visas were capped at 10,000 per year, eventually precipitating a multi-year backlog that diminishes the incentive to report crime for persons who fear depor- tation. Of particular importance, the willingness of law enforcement officers to provide a certification of helpfulness—a mandatory com- ponent of an application for U status—varies tremendously across agencies. Eligibility for U status is thus a matter of “geographic rou- lette.” New policies implemented under the Trump Administration threaten this already fraught scheme. In particular, the Department of Homeland Security has reinvigorated cooperative enforcement agreements with state and local police and expanded removal priori- ties to include those merely charged or suspected of criminal activity. These developments mean that undocumented victims of serious crime expose themselves to significant risk of deportation when they involve the police. When crime is unreported, perpetrators may re- main at large, free to offend again. Particularly in domestic violence situations, survivors and their families remain vulnerable to further harm. Ironically, these results conflict with another stated initiative of the Trump Administration: fighting crime. This symposium essay offers five concrete reforms that would ameliorate the problems hampering the effectiveness of the U visa

Quantifying CDS Sortability of Permutations by Strategic Pile Size

The special purpose sorting operation, context directed swap (CDS), is an example of the block interchange sorting operation studied in prior work on permutation sorting. CDS has been postulated to model certain molecular sorting events that occur in the genome maintenance program of some species of ciliates. We investigate the mathematical structure of permutations not sortable by the CDS sorting operation. In particular, we present substantial progress towards quantifying permutations with a given strategic pile size, which can be understood as a measure of CDS non-sortability. Our main results include formulas for the number of permutations in Sn with with maximum size strategic pile. More generally, we derive a formula for the number of permutations in Sn with strategic pile size k, in addition to an algorithm for computing certain coefficients of this formula, which we call merge numbers

Status of Intraductal Therapy for Ductal Carcinoma in Situ

The intraductal approach is particularly appealing in the setting of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a preinvasive breast neoplasm that is thought to be entirely intraductal in its extent. Based on an emerging understanding of the anatomy of the ductal system as well as novel techniques to leverage the access accorded by the intraductal approach, researchers are actively exploring how ductal lavage, ductoscopy, and intraductal infusion of therapeutic agents may enhance breast cancer treatment. Both cytologic and molecular diagnostics continue to improve, and work is ongoing to identify the most effective diagnostic biomarkers for DCIS and cancer, although optimal targeting of the diseased duct remains an important consideration. Ductoscopy holds potential in detection of occult intraductal lesions, and ductoscopically guided lumpectomy could increase the likelihood of a more comprehensive surgical excision. Exciting pilot studies are in progress to determine the safety and feasibility of intraductal chemotherapy infusion. These studies are an important starting point for future investigations of intraductal ablative therapy for DCIS, because as our knowledge and techniques evolve, it is likely that DCIS may be the target most amenable to treatment by intraductal therapy. If such studies are successful, these approaches will allow an important and meaningful transformation in treatment options for women diagnosed with DCIS

Understanding Deaf Culture

Culture defines people and gives them a sense of identity. It provides a community for individuals with similar beliefs and values to communicate with one another using a shared language. Deaf Culture encompasses these principles, but it is unique in that it has it’s own fully developed language known as American Sign Language (ASL). ASL is a verbal language that incorporates all of the linguistic components of a spoken language such as syntax, idioms, and dialect variation. It allows the deaf community to have a distinct sense of humor along with their own traditions, literature, and theater. All of these components make up the essence of their culture; however, despite all of the beauty and distinction embodied, there are many misconceptions about deaf individuals. Addressing these and negating them was an important part to the learning process for this project. The goal of this project was to gain a broad understanding of the customs and values of Deaf Culture. As an aspiring speech-language pathologist, I will undoubtedly work with individuals who are hard-of-hearing or deaf. Knowing how important their culture is to them and what it is all about will help me to support them more adequately. Learning basic ASL signs will benefit me, not only with my profession, but also in daily life. Just like learning a foreign language, learning signs will enable me to communicate with a broader scope of people and promote positive language skills. Through this project I have learned about a wide array of topics related to Deaf Culture and deepened my appreciation for cultures other than my own

Lymphosarcoma in an 8 year old Holstein dairy cow

An eight year old female intact Holstein cow presented with lethargy, recumbency, diarrhea, and fever. The cow was five months carried calf, dry and on pasture. A diagnosis of bovine leukosis virus associated lymphosarcoma was made based on clinical presentation, gross necropsy findings and a positive BLV AGID test. This paper will address causes of lymphosarcoma in dairy cattle, the pathogenesis of the bovine leukosis virus (BLV), treatment options, economic implications of BLV infection and control methods

Relationship between anthropometric factors and risk of second breast cancer events among Ductal Carcinoma In Situ survivors

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2015Introduction There is currently a growing population of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) survivors with considerable risk of second breast cancers in the United States. Although specific treatment factors have been shown to decrease this risk, there is little data regarding the impact of potentially modifiable lifestyle factors. Methods We conducted a population-based case-control study of DCIS survivors in Western Washington diagnosed between 1996 and 2013. We enrolled 347 patients diagnosed with an initial DCIS lesion and a second primary invasive or in situ breast cancer, and 587 matched controls diagnosed with only an initial DCIS. Associations between anthropometric factors and risk of an invasive or in situ second breast cancer events were evaluated using conditional logistic regression. Results Obese (≥30 kg/m2) and underweight (<18.5 kg/m2) BMI at initial DCIS diagnosis were associated with an elevated risk of invasive second breast cancers (odds ratio (OR)=2.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25 to 3.55; and OR=4.8, 95% CI 1.15 to 20.04, respectively). Compared to women with no change in BMI, those whose BMI increased ≥2 kg/m2 between initial and second diagnosis (reference date for controls) had a 1.8-fold (95% CI 1.03 to 3.12) increased risk of invasive second breast cancer. Discussion This study adds to limited available literature and suggests that avoidance of weight gain after DCIS diagnosis may be an adjunct strategy to reduce the risk of second breast cancer events. Given the overall scarcity of data on the influence of modifiable lifestyle factors on second breast cancers after DCIS, additional confirmatory studies are needed