Evaluation of Earthquake-Induced Slope Displacements

A large landslide in San Jose, California, has experienced displacements during past earthquakes. Future earthquakes on the Hayward fault, which is located about a mile east of the slide, are expected to cause larger displacements. Potential deformations induced by a major earthquake (M 7) on the Hayward fault were evaluated using a non-linear dynamic finite element analysis

Размещение мирового культурного наследия в Интернете методом краудсорсинга

The Article introduces the use of Crowdsourcing method in creation of California Digital Newspaper Collection and Cambridge Public Library (USA). There are presented the results of study conducted in February-March, 2013 among the users of these Libraries.Статья знакомит с использованием метода краудсорсинга в создании Цифровой коллекции газет Калифорнии и Публичной библиотеки Кембриджа (США). Представлены результаты исследования, проведенного в феврале-марте 2013 г. среди пользователей этих библиотек

Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States Final Report

On April 9, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. issued Executive Order 14023 establishing this Commission, to consist of “individuals having experience with and knowledge of the Federal judiciary and the Supreme Court of the United States.” The Order charged the Commission with producing a report for the President that addresses three sets of questions. First, the Report should include “[a]n account of the contemporary commentary and debate about the role and operation of the Supreme Court in our constitutional system and about the functioning of the constitutional process by which the President nominates and, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, appoints Justices to the Supreme Court.” Second, the Report should consider the “historical background of other periods in the Nation’s history when the Supreme Court’s role and the nominations and advice-and-consent process were subject to critical assessment and prompted proposals for reform.” Third, the Report should provide an analysis of the principal arguments for and against particular proposals to reform the Supreme Court, “including an appraisal of [their] merits and legality,” and should be informed by “a broad spectrum of ideas.” The Report begins by explaining the genesis of today’s Court reform debate, including by identifying developments that gave rise to President Biden’s decision to issue the April 2021 Executive Order, particularly the debates surrounding the most recent nominations. This Introduction emphasizes that the Court’s composition and jurisprudence long have been subjects of public controversy and debate in the nation’s civic life: The Court serves as a crucial guardian of the rule of law and also plays a central role in major social and political conflicts. Its decisions have profound effects on the life of the nation. Though conflict surrounding the processes by which the President nominates and the Senate confirms Justices is not new, it has become more intensely partisan in recent years. The Introduction also articulates three common and interrelated ideas frequently invoked in reform debates and throughout the Chapters of the Report: the importance of protecting or enhancing the Court’s legitimacy; the role of judicial independence in our system of government; and the value of democracy and its relationship to the Supreme Court’s decisionmaking. These important ideas can mean different things to different people. The Introduction discusses the range of meanings ascribed to these terms, with the aim of clarifying how they are deployed in arguments for and against reform

Transformational change: nurses substituting for ophthalmologists for intravitreal injections – a quality-improvement report

Monica M Michelotti,1 Salwa Abugreen,2 Simon P Kelly,1 Jiten Morarji,1 Debra Myerscough,2 Tina Boddie,2 Ann Haughton,1 Natalie Nixon,2 Brenda Mason,1 Evangelos Sioras11Ophthalmology Department, Royal Bolton Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Bolton, UK; 2Ophthalmology Department, East Lancashire NHS Trust, Blackburn, UKBackground: The dramatic increase in need for anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) intravitreal therapy in the treatment of retinal disease and the absence of an equivalent increase in ophthalmologists to undertake such intravitreal injections created a patient-safety risk. Timing of intravitreal therapy (IVT) is critical to prevent vision loss and local clinics lacked capacity to treat patients appropriately. We aimed to improve capacity for IVT by nurse injections.Materials and methods: A multidisciplinary prospective service-improvement process was undertaken at two adjacent general hospitals in the northwest of England. IVT injections by nurses were a principal component of solution development. After we had obtained appropriate institutional approval, experienced ophthalmic nurses were trained, supervised, and assessed to undertake IVT. Ophthalmologists directly supervised the first 200 injections, and a retina specialist was always on site.Results: Nurses undertook 3,355 intravitreal injections between June 2012 and November 2013, with minor adverse events (0.3% subconjunctival hemorrhage and corneal abrasion). There were no patient complaints at either hospital.Conclusion: Experienced ophthalmic nurses quickly learned how to perform such injections safely. IVT by nurses was well accepted by patients and staff. Hospital A trained three nurses sequentially for improved flexibility in scheduling. Novel use of appropriately trained nonmedical staff can improve efficiency and access in an overburdened service with time-sensitive disease. Retinal assessment was undertaken by ophthalmologists only. Improved access to IVT is important, as treatment with anti-VEGF therapy reduces blindness at population levels.Keywords: ophthalmology, retina, age-related macular degeneration, nurse, transformation, extended role