Blackjack at Thirty Thousand Feet: America\u27s Attempt to Enforce Its Ban On In-Flight Gambling Extraterritorially

This Comment examines the United States\u27 ban on in-flight gambling on foreign air carriers servicing the United States. It argues that the Convention on International Civil Aviation ( Chicago Convention ), grants the United States the authority and the jurisdiction to impose such a law, arguments advanced by legal scholars to the contrary notwithstanding. However, in the interests of global harmony and to ensure that the international civil aviation industry will continue to thrive as it has in the past, this Comment argues that the United States should repeal its ban on in-flight gambling. In analyzing this issue, this Comment first looks at the statute imposing the ban and its legislative history. Next, this Comment examines the position of each party on this issue: first, the position of the United States and the reasons for enacting this law, then, the position of the international airlines and their primary arguments and interests. The discussion then explores the provisions of the Chicago Convention, which granted the United States jurisdiction to impose its ban on in-flight gambling. Finally, this Comment will argue that while the United States has both the authority and the jurisdiction to ban in- flight gambling on international flights, Congress should repeal its ban, at least with regard to foreign air carriers

Systems Engineering of the Double-Probe Instrumentation for Measuring Electric-Fields CubeSatellite

This report presents the general mission overview of the Double-probe Instrumentation for Measuring Electric-fields (E-fields) (DIME) program. The Lessons learned from a previous program are summarized, and the subsequent changes to the main science instrument and overall satellite bus design are presented. The trade-studies, design, and systems engineering of the Double-probe Electric Field (E-field) science instrument is described. This report also outlines the overall mechanical design of a 1.5U CubeSatellite and its deployable mechanisms for use on the DIME program

Passing Muster: Evaluating Teacher Evaluation Systems

Describes how state or federal governments could reward exceptional teachers based on a uniform standard across various district-level teacher evaluation systems by determining the systems' reliability in predicting future performance. Includes Q & A

Evaluating Teachers: The Important Role of Value-Added

Outlines issues for evaluating teachers based on value added -- their contribution to student learning -- and the use of value added information, implications of classifying teachers, and reliability compared with other fields and evaluations

A gamified sleep intervention for veterans: an overview

A good night’s sleep is well known to be imperative for maintaining one’s overall wellness. Yet, about half of Canadian adults struggle with falling asleep or maintaining sleep. The impacts of insufficient sleep are wide-ranging, from physiological correlates such as diabetes to mental correlates such as depression. Effective treatments for sleep-related issues exist: for example, online interventions for insomnia have been found to be effective. As a medicine and a health psychology student at, respectively, Sherbrooke University and McGill University, we worked on the MissionVAV health promotion program during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing free gamified interventions for Canadian Veterans and their families. Over the course of several online interventions related to physical health, we observed that a large proportion of our participants were dissatisfied with their sleep. Consequently, we have developed an 8-week online sleep intervention to address this primordial element of primary prevention. The intervention aims to better our participants’ sleep through providing weekly readings on the following topics: age-related changes in sleep, proper sleep hygiene, varied relaxation techniques as well as the relationship between sleep and chronic pain, menopause, shift work, rumination, exercise and light. To promote healthy sleep hygiene habits, daily self-assessment questions are provided and are incentivized through points and storytelling. Furthermore, health coaches trained in sleep medicine follow participants throughout their journey to provide support and reinforcement. Ultimately, the intervention aims to shed light on the importance of sleep within preventative medicine, tackling it systematically in an engaging, gamified fashion

Reframing commitment in authentic leadership: Untangling relationship–outcome processes

Affective organizational commitment is theorized and empirically tested as a key mediator between authentic leadership and desirable employee outcomes. The results of a two-wave survey of 830 business people in Australia support a serial mediation model of authentic leadership efficacy. Followers\u27 perceptions of authentic leadership behavior influence their personal identification and affect-based trust in the leader, which in turn are mediated by affective organizational commitment to positively influence their work engagement and job satisfaction. These findings reinforce previous work that positions personal identification and affect-based trust as the two primary mediating mechanisms of authentic leadership. This paper extends prior research by demonstrating the important role of followers\u27 affective bonds with their organization in the operation of authentic leadership, moving beyond the dyad in our understanding of follower outcomes

Reframing commitment in authentic leadership: Untangling relationship–outcome processes

Affective organizational commitment is theorized and empirically tested as a key mediator between authentic leadership and desirable employee outcomes. The results of a two-wave survey of 830 business people in Australia support a serial mediation model of authentic leadership efficacy. Followers\u27 perceptions of authentic leadership behavior influence their personal identification and affect-based trust in the leader, which in turn are mediated by affective organizational commitment to positively influence their work engagement and job satisfaction. These findings reinforce previous work that positions personal identification and affect-based trust as the two primary mediating mechanisms of authentic leadership. This paper extends prior research by demonstrating the important role of followers\u27 affective bonds with their organization in the operation of authentic leadership, moving beyond the dyad in our understanding of follower outcomes

Anticoagulant SERPINs: Endogenous Regulators of Hemostasis and Thrombosis

Appropriate activation of coagulation requires a balance between procoagulant and anticoagulant proteins in blood. Loss in this balance leads to hemorrhage and thrombosis. A number of endogenous anticoagulant proteins, such as antithrombin and heparin cofactor II, are members of the serine protease inhibitor (SERPIN) family. These SERPIN anticoagulants function by forming irreversible inhibitory complexes with target coagulation proteases. Mutations in SERPIN family members, such as antithrombin, can cause hereditary thrombophilias. In addition, low plasma levels of SERPINs have been associated with an increased risk of thrombosis. Here, we review the biological activities of the different anticoagulant SERPINs. We further consider the clinical consequences of SERPIN deficiencies and insights gained from preclinical disease models. Finally, we discuss the potential utility of engineered SERPINs as novel therapies for the treatment of thrombotic pathologies

Online health promotion program and individualized health coaching for veteran wellbeing

The pandemic has highlighted the need for accessible and effective health promotion as Canadians are isolated from their communities during social distancing measures. A web-based health promotion program in which participants also received individualized email-based health coaching from medical students has been available during the pandemic to empower veterans and their family members to engage in healthy lifestyle change. Health coaches’ email interactions with participants used techniques of motivational interviewing, including an empathetic style, statements of affirmation, and reflections. Open-ended questions were useful in gaining insight into the participant’s current lifestyle, including habits, challenges, and coping strategies. As services have transitioned online and individuals have become more isolated, the connection formed between online health coaches and individuals participating in the health promotion program became crucial in countering the mental and physical health repercussions of the pandemic. In a preliminary analysis, we show that web-based health promotion with health coaching, for Canadian Veterans and their families, leads to significant weight loss, increased activity and improvement in wellbeing metrics such as sleep and stress. The medical students acting as health coaches were able to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges involved in behaviour change, something that is seldom covered in detail in the medical school curricula. Medical students were also able to practice their motivational counseling skills surrounding lifestyle changes. Given the lack of available evidence for web-based health promotion that targets veterans and their families, these preliminary results appear promising, with longer-term follow-up planned for the next two years