Muborakshoeva, M. Routledge Contemporary South Asia Series: Islam and Higher Education. New York: Routledge Press, 2009.

Book review

Historical Practices and Modern Interpretations: Understanding the Wai Khru Ceremony as a Thai Educational and Cultural Tradition

While working in Thailand, education professionals from Western backgrounds often remark on a certain social eminence accorded to teachers by Thais, and many will also experience, especially in abridged form, the rituals of the Wai Khru, or Homage to Teachers, ceremony. However, it could be that few without direct cultural orientation can appreciate these traditions to the depth such long-standing cultural practices deserve. More detrimentally, they may not be aware of the social expectations these traditional views place on educators within Thai society. Drawing on primary sources from Thai literature and media and their own experiences as educators in Thailand, the authors of this article—both Thai-American and foreign—place the Wai Khru ceremony, along with the social status and responsibilities implicit on being an educator in Thailand, into historical and social context, with the aim of shedding light on these topics for other professionals looking to work or conduct research in this Southeast Asian nation

Missouri Sentencing and Race: A Closer Look from 2007-2015

Contrary to the perception, it is judges, not juries, that typically determine the sentence for a convicted criminal defendant. While all citizens are to be treated equal under the law, recent cries to overhaul our criminal justice system came to a head following the wake of Officer Darren Wilson’s (Caucasian) shooting and killing of Michael Brown (African-American) in Ferguson, Missouri. This paper attempts to examine sentencing practices of Missouri courts from 2007-2015, covering a time period both before and after Brown’s death in 2014

Simulation-based analysis of trial design in regional anesthesia

BACKGROUND: In regional anesthesia, the efficacy of novel blocks is typically evaluated using randomized controlled trials (RCTs), the findings of which are aggregated in systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Systematic review authors frequently point out the small sample size of RCTs as limiting conclusions from this literature. We sought to determine via statistical simulation if small sample size could be an expected property of RCTs focusing on novel blocks with typical effect sizes. METHODS: We simulated the conduct of a series of RCTs comparing a novel block versus placebo on a single continuous outcome measure. Simulation analysis inputs were obtained from a systematic bibliographic search of meta-analyses. Primary outcomes were the predicted number of large trials (empirically defined as RESULTS: Simulation analysis predicted that a novel block would be tested in 16 RCTs enrolling a median of 970 patients (interquartile range (IQR) across 1000 simulations: 806, 1269), with no large trials. Among possible modifications to trial design, decreasing the statistical significance threshold from CONCLUSION: Small sample size of regional anesthesia RCTs comparing novel block to placebo is a rational outcome of trial design. Feasibly large trials are unlikely to change conclusions regarding block vs. placebo comparisons

Sub-lunar Tap Yielding eXplorer (STYX) & Surface Telemetry Operations and Next-generation Excavation System (STONES)

The NASA RASC-AL Moon to Mars competition challenges student teams to develop a lightweight, durable, and hands-off method for extracting water from Martian/lunar subsurface ice layers while mapping soil density profiles. Future interplanetary expeditions are dependent on the availability of clean water and this project aims to accomplish this task. The challenge description enumerates several criteria to be met for successful designs. For further information, the STYX & STONES team conducted research on Cal Poly’s competition project from last year to consider the areas for redesign. As such, the team has utilized the background research from relevant patents and journal articles to consider brainstorming potentially viable solutions. Based on these solutions for each subsystem, the team converged the ideas using a series of decision matrices into a final design direction. In addition to reviewing the STYX design, several new considerations were made for the scope of this project. Primarily, this year’s team focused on developing a prototype that has the capability of operating in an extraterrestrial environment and thoroughly fulfilling the requirements posed by NASA. To visualize the requirements, the team created a list of customer needs, a House of Quality diagram, and an engineering specifications table. Additionally, the STYX & STONES team discussed the design process it plans to follow including major project milestones. Specifically, the team plans to excel in collecting more than five quarts of water autonomously while successfully identifying the overburden layers – tasks that previous teams have struggled with. The team’s design direction includes two main components: a masonry drill bit and an auger- heater probe hybrid tool. The masonry drill bit will create a hole in the overburden using the force from a rotary hammer. The heater probe tool will then be moved to align with the hole and be driven into the loosened overburden using the force of a small gear motor. The heater probe will then melt ice using a hot waterjet and deliver water via a peristaltic pump and a two-stage filtration system. To verify the design, the team completed a multitude of analyses and tests for each subsystem and the prototype as a whole. Through drilling tests, the team found that the rotary hammer and masonry bit can easily cut through all overburden layers while keeping weight on bit (WOB) below 150N. Similarly, the load cells attached to the drill carriage were tested and proven to be accurate at recording WOB data and providing feedback to the controller to monitor WOB. Furthermore, the load cells proved successful at recording accurate WOB data that can be analyzed to determine overburden composition. The pumping system was also tested and was capable of effectively moving water through all filters and delivering fluid to the waterjet. More tests were completed to verify the heater probe tool; these tests included controlling heater temperature, melting ice, expelling water through the waterjet, and removing loose material from the hole. To verify the design requirements, the team has completed analysis pertaining to each subsystem including the drill, heater probe, frame, and control systems. The team is confident in the drilling design based on testing and vibrations analysis. In the same manner, the team verified that the 12V peristaltic pump will have enough pressure head rise based on analysis and prototype testing. Using the prototype heater probe as a reference, the team fully characterized the heat transfer parameters of the final design and is confident the auger will be effective considering surrounding debris. Finally, the team tested the water jet design using 120oF water which provided optimistic results that the water jet will significantly expand the melt radius per hole. As a next step, the team will be testing the mechanical and controls systems simultaneously using manufactured parts. The following report details the subsystems and relevant information

Multicenter prevalence of anaphylaxis in clinic-based oral food challenges

Background Although previous single-center studies report the rate of anaphylaxis for oral food challenges (OFCs) as 9% to 11%, little is known regarding the epidemiology of clinical OFCs across multiple centers in the United States. Objective To examine the epidemiology, symptoms, and treatment of clinical low-risk OFCs in the nonresearch setting. Methods Data were obtained from 2008 to 2013 through a physician survey in 5 food allergy centers geographically distributed across the United States. Allergic reaction rates and the association of reaction rates with year, hospital, and demographics were determined using a linear mixed model. Meta-analysis was used to pool the proportion of reactions and anaphylaxis with inverse-variance weights using a random-effects model with exact confidence intervals (CIs). Results A total of 6,377 OFCs were performed, and the pooled estimate of anaphylaxis was 2% (95% CI, 1%-3%). The rate of allergic reactions was 14% (95% CI, 13%-16%) and was consistent during the study period (P = .40). Reaction rates ranged from 13% to 33%. Males reacted 16% more frequently than females (95% CI, 4%-37.5%; P = .04). Foods challenged in 2013 varied geographically, with peanut as the most challenged food in the Northeast, Midwest, and West and egg as the most challenged in the South. Conclusion As the largest national survey of allergic reactions of clinical open OFCs in a nonresearch setting in the United States, this study found that performing clinical nonresearch open low-risk OFCs results in few allergic reactions, with 86% of challenges resulting in no reactions and 98% without anaphylaxis

Local and Regional North Carolina Collaborations: Case Studies from the North Carolina Chapter of the American Planning Association

Carolina Planning regularly publishes a feature highlighting projects from members of the North Carolina Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA-NC). This year’s submissions range from multi-county visioning efforts to small-town transportation planning, demonstrating that planning at any scale can benefit from innovative collaboration. Includes the following case studies: Innovative Partnerships (Introduction); Opt-In Project Explores Uncharted Planning Territory in Southwestern NC; Transportation Planning in a Growing Community; Playing Around with Civic Engagement Strategies in the Triad; Simple Changes and Collaboration: NCDOT and the Town of West Jefferson Partner to Revitalize Downtow

Integrating Human Indoor Air Pollutant Exposure within Life Cycle Impact Assessment

Neglecting health effects from indoor pollutant emissions and exposure, as currently done in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), may result in product or process optimizations at the expense of workers’ or consumers’ health. To close this gap, methods for considering indoor exposure to chemicals are needed to complement the methods for outdoor human exposure assessment already in use. This paper summarizes the work of an international expert group on the integration of human indoor and outdoor exposure in LCA, within the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative. A new methodological framework is proposed for a general procedure to include human-health effects from indoor exposure in LCA. Exposure models from occupational hygiene and household indoor air quality studies and practices are critically reviewed and recommendations are provided on the appropriateness of various model alternatives in the context of LCA. A single-compartment box model is recommended for use as a default in LCA, enabling one to screen occupational and household exposures consistent with the existing models to assess outdoor emission in a multimedia environment. An initial set of model parameter values was collected. The comparison between indoor and outdoor human exposure per unit of emission shows that for many pollutants, intake per unit of indoor emission may be several orders of magnitude higher than for outdoor emissions. It is concluded that indoor exposure should be routinely addressed within LCA