986 research outputs found

    VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017

    Get PDF
    The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 (S.1094). Specifically, this paper explores the law’s journey throughout the American governance system, including the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. This is supplemented by an examination of the core political theories on the bureaucratic institutions that define the policymaking process. The paper analyzes the most complex aspects of the lawmaking process in the context of S. 1094, including the barriers to implementation and claims to its constitutional basis. The objective of this article is to examine the development of this particular law from the perspective of these various institutions of the political system in addition to an evaluation of the way it accomplishes the goals at the heart of this piece of legislation. This analysis is complemented by exploring the role of interest groups, political parties, and unorthodox lawmaking practices

    Werner state structure and entanglement classification

    Full text link
    We present applications of the representation theory of Lie groups to the analysis of structure and local unitary classification of Werner states, sometimes called the {\em decoherence-free} states, which are states of nn quantum bits left unchanged by local transformations that are the same on each particle. We introduce a multiqubit generalization of the singlet state, and a construction that assembles these into Werner states.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures, minor changes and corrections for version

    Interventions for treating people with symptoms of bladder pain syndrome : A network meta-analysis

    Get PDF
    Funding Information: ‱ National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), UK. This review was commissioned by the NIHR Systematic Reviews Programme as project number 16/59/01. ‱ National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), UK. This project was supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), via Cochrane Infrastructure funding to Cochrane Incontinence. The views and opinions expressed therein are those of the review authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Systematic Reviews Programme, NIHR, National Health Service or the Department of Health. The NIHR is the largest single funder of Cochrane Incontinence.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

    A Preliminary Comparison of Pilots\u27 Weather Minimums and Actual Decision-Making

    Get PDF
    Adverse weather conditions remain a leading contributing factor in general aviation accidents. In compromising situations, such as severe weather, pilots continue to make decisions, which endanger themselves, passengers, and the aircraft. Although technology and training have lowered the risks associated with poor decision making by aviators, they are often still faced with scenarios requiring split second judgments. A countermeasure to these risks is the use of personal weather minimums by pilots. The purpose of this study was to examine pilot’s decision-making and performance, while flying an instrument approach, under extreme conditions of low visibility and ceiling as based on their stated personal minimums. A sample of 35 flight students with instrument ratings was recruited from a large university flight program located in the southeastern part of the United States. Participants were asked a series of pre-test questions, including their personal weather minimums, and then flew an ILS instrument approach on an Elite-1000 flight simulator at the subject university. The findings indicate approximately eighty percent of participants, on average, descended nearly two-hundred feet below their stated personal minimums before aborting the approach. Furthermore, forty percent of them also flew twenty-five feet below the federal requirement (200 feet above ground level) before aborting the approach. These results are pertinent to advance our understanding of the many different variables affecting pilot’s decision making. Understanding these outcomes will progress our initiatives to ensure safer air travel, while improving pilot’s competence and their passenger’s confidence

    Reinventing Undergraduate Clinical Placements with a Switch to Delivery by Clinical Teaching Fellows

    Get PDF
    Purpose: Undergraduate clinical placements have the potential for significant improvement. Previous research has shown the growing value of clinical teaching fellows (CTFs) within medical education. Changing traditional placements to a model whereby CTFs have defined roles and lead the majority of teaching can positively reinvent undergraduate clinical teaching. We wanted to see how a structured teaching programme delivered by CTFs could affect student experience and personal development within a large associate teaching hospital. We consider how such a model could be implemented and explore the opportunities for CTFs to develop in personal and professional capacities. Methods: A mixed methods study was organised to assess student experience of a CTF-led placement. A novel structured teaching programme was delivered by 14 CTFs, who provided or were involved with the majority of teaching for all medical students. Thematic analysis was conducted on focus groups with 48 final year medical students from Queen Mary University of London following completion of their clinical placements. The same students were asked to complete an anonymous survey from which results were analysed using modified 5-point Likert scales. Results: Eight themes were identified from the focus groups. Students appreciated the increased individualisation, relevance and variety of teaching and the ability to record progress. Other perceived effects were higher teacher to student ratios, more learning opportunities and increased familiarity and reliability with CTFs. Of the students surveyed, 96% felt their overall placement experience was very good in comparison to previous placements elsewhere. Survey results supported focus group themes and demonstrated perceived growth in students’ personal development. Conclusion: Placement models where CTFs lead most teaching can improve medical undergraduate experience and training. A move towards CTF-delivered teaching can be of financial benefit to hospital trusts whilst allowing time for junior doctors to explore different clinical specialities and hone their teaching skills

    Consideration of pannexin 1 channels in covid-19 pathology and treatment

    Get PDF
    Copyright © 2020 the American Physiological Society Pannexin 1 (PANX1) is a ubiquitously expressed, channel-forming protein found in a number of tissues throughout the body (e.g., lung, vasculature, liver, central nervous system, immune system) that is important in many key physiological and immune responses (18, 55). PANX1 channels passively flux ATP (predominantly), multiple metabolites, and likely other small anions (37, 39). PANX1 channels regulate inflammation and host responses to several pathogens, including viruses (36, 42, 53). While there is currently no evidence suggesting novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and PANX1 directly interact, there is an urgent need for therapeutic strategies, especially those targeting the hyperinflammation and cytokine storm that occurs in severe cases of COVID-19 (27, 41). Here we argue that PANX1, and drugs known to target PANX1 (including the FDA-approved drug probenecid), should be the focus of further investigation in the context of SARS-CoV-2 infection and its associated pathology in COVID-19 patients

    Limited effects of long-term daily cranberry consumption on the gut microbiome in a placebo-controlled study of women with recurrent urinary tract infections

    Get PDF
    Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) affect 15 million women each year in the United States, with > 20% experiencing frequent recurrent UTIs. A recent placebo-controlled clinical trial found a 39% reduction in UTI symptoms among recurrent UTI sufferers who consumed a daily cranberry beverage for 24 weeks. Using metagenomic sequencing of stool from a subset of these trial participants, we assessed the impact of cranberry consumption on the gut microbiota, a reservoir for UTI-causing pathogens such as Escherichia coli, which causes > 80% of UTIs. Results: The overall taxonomic composition, community diversity, carriage of functional pathways and gene families, and relative abundances of the vast majority of observed bacterial taxa, including E. coli, were not changed significantly by cranberry consumption. However, one unnamed Flavonifractor species (OTU41), which represented ≀1% of the overall metagenome, was significantly less abundant in cranberry consumers compared to placebo at trial completion. Given Flavonifractor’s association with negative human health effects, we sought to determine OTU41 characteristic genes that may explain its differential abundance and/or relationship to key host functions. Using comparative genomic and metagenomic techniques, we identified genes in OTU41 related to transport and metabolism of various compounds, including tryptophan and cobalamin, which have been shown to play roles in host-microbe interactions. Conclusion: While our results indicated that cranberry juice consumption had little impact on global measures of the microbiome, we found one unnamed Flavonifractor species differed significantly between study arms. This suggests further studies are needed to assess the role of cranberry consumption and Flavonifractor in health and wellbeing in the context of recurrent UTI. Trial registration: Clinical trial registration number: ClinicalTrials.govNCT01776021

    The U.S. Inland Creel and Angler Survey Catalog (CreelCat): Development, Applications, and Opportunities

    Get PDF
    Inland recreational fishing, defined as primarily leisure-driven fishing in freshwaters, is a popular pastime in the USA. State natural resource agencies endeavor to provide high-quality and sustainable fishing opportunities for anglers. Managers often use creel and other angler survey data to inform state- and waterbody-level management efforts. Despite the broad implementation of angler surveys and their importance to fisheries management at state scales, regional and national coordination among these activities is minimal, limiting data applicability for larger-scale management practices and research. Here, we introduce the U.S. Inland Creel and Angler Survey Catalog (CreelCat), a first-of-its-kind, publicly available national database of angler survey data that establishes a baseline of national inland recreational fishing metrics. We highlight research and management applications to help support sustainable inland recreational fishing practices, consider cautions, and make recommendations for implementation
    • 

    corecore