The Legacy of British Rule On LGBT Rights In Jamaica and the Cayman Islands

This thesis explores the relationship between British colonial influence and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) rights in the Caribbean. Comparing the Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory, and Jamaica, an independent former colony of the United Kingdom, the situation for LGBT people is evaluated. While Jamaica has serious abuses and a concerning situation for the human rights of LGBT people, the Cayman Islands’ LGBT community’s position is far less concerning. Owing to its continued connection to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Cayman Islands’ LGBT rights situation is much less dire. Through British influence via funding of human rights initiatives, the use of orders-in-council to alter local law in the territory, the application of European court rulings, British control of the police force, and other factors, the United Kingdom’s connection to the British Overseas Territories such as the Cayman Islands has helped to spread its human rights agenda to these territories

Organic Thin-Film Transistors and TIPS-Pentacene

TIPS-Pentacene, an organic semiconductor characterized by its good electronic properties, solubility, and stability, is used primarily in organic thin-film transistors (OTFT). This research seeks to create an OTFT by crafting a stencil, depositing the source and drain onto a substrate’s surface, and processing TIPS-Pentacene onto the channel between them. In addition, if time permits, the electronic properties of several OTFTs will be compared to determine how to optimize their production

Salvation: Into the Cosmos: Board Game Project Blending 4X and Eurogame Styles

This project is an attempt at creating a shorter and simpler 4X strategy game. To do this, the author takes elements of the Eurogame genre and combines aspects of The Settlers of Catan by Klaus Teuber and Shattered Plans by Jagex while following the requirements of the German board game award, the Spiel de Jahres. After following the traditional game design process of conceptualization, prototyping, and repeated testing, analysis, and revision, the author succeeded in creating a core foundation for such a game that also had marketing potential on its own

Crowd-sourced investigation of a potential relationship between Bartonella-associated cutaneous lesions and neuropsychiatric symptoms

Introduction Preliminary studies suggest that infection with Bartonella bacteria can not only cause a characteristic rash, headache, fever, and fatigue but also neuropsychiatric symptoms. To date, this association has only been reported in case studies, and it remains unclear if this association generalizes to larger samples. Methods We used Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk) to crowdsource a large sample (N = 996) of individuals to ascertain the extent to which the presence of participant-identified Bartonella-associated cutaneous lesions (BACL) was associated with self-reported measures of anxiety, depression, and schizotypy. Participants were asked to select images of cutaneous lesions they had seen on their own bodies and complete a battery of self-report questionnaires to assess psychiatric symptoms. Participants were not informed that the focus of the study was on potential dermatological lesions associated with Bartonella. Point-biserial correlations were used to determine the potential relationship between selecting a BACL image and the severity of self-reported psychiatric symptoms. Results Scores of anxiety, depression, and schizotypy were positively and significantly correlated with selecting a BACL image. Furthermore, self-report scores of 10 or higher on the GAD-7 and PHQ-9, which represent the suggested clinical cutoffs for meeting criteria for a depressive or anxiety-related disorder, were also significantly associated with selecting a BACL image. Non-Bartonella-associated cutaneous legions were also significantly associated with self-reported measures of psychiatric symptoms. Discussion The current study broadens the link between the presence of BACL and the presence of psychiatric symptoms of anxiety, depression, and schizotypy and extends a potential relationship beyond the small sample sizes of previous case studies and case series. Further investigation is recommended to address limitations and expand on these findings

Foliar Micronutrient Application for High-Yield Maize

Nebraska soils are generally micronutrient sufficient. However, critical levels for current yields have not been validated. From 2013 to 2015, 26 on-farm paired comparison strip-trials were conducted across Nebraska to test the effect of foliar-applied micronutrients on maize (Zea mays L.) yield and foliar nutrient concentrations. Treatments were applied from V6 to V14 at sites with 10.9 to 16.4 Mg ha−1 yield. Soils ranged from silty clays to fine sands. Soil micronutrient availability and tissue concentrations were all above critical levels for deficiency. Significant grain yield increases were few. Micronutrient concentrations for leaf growth that occurred after foliar applications were increased 4 to 9 mg Zn kg−1 at 5 of 17 sites with application of 87 to 119 g Zn ha−1, 12 to 16 mg kg−1 Mn at 2 of 17 sites with application of 87 to 89 g Mn ha−1, and an average of 8.1 mg kg−1 Fe across 10 sites showing signs of Fe deficiency with application of 123 g foliar Fe ha-1. Foliar B concentration was not affected by B application. Increases in nutrient concentrations were not related to grain yield responses except for Mn (r = 0.54). The mean, significant grain yield response to 123 g foliar Fe ha−1 was 0.4 Mg ha−1 for the 10 sites with Fe deficiency symptoms. On average, maize yield response to foliar Fe application can be profitable if Fe deficiency symptoms are observed. Response to other foliar micronutrient applications is not likely to be profitable without solid evidence of a nutrient deficiency

Machine-learning-accelerated Bose-Einstein condensation

Machine learning is emerging as a technology that can enhance physics experiment execution and data analysis. Here, we apply machine learning to accelerate the production of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) of $^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ atoms by Bayesian optimization of up to 55 control parameters. This approach enables us to prepare BECs of $2.8 \times 10^3$ optically trapped $^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ atoms from a room-temperature gas in 575 ms. The algorithm achieves the fast BEC preparation by applying highly efficient Raman cooling to near quantum degeneracy, followed by a brief final evaporation. We anticipate that many other physics experiments with complex nonlinear system dynamics can be significantly enhanced by a similar machine-learning approach.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures + supplemental materia

Corals of the genus Porites are a locally abundant component of the epibiont community on mangrove prop roots at Calabash Caye, Turneffe Atoll, Belize

Mangroves are generally regarded as inhospitable for corals, but recent reports suggest they provide ecological refuge for some species. We surveyed diverse mangrove habitats on Turneffe Atoll, Belize, documenting 127 colonies of Porites divaricata (Thin Finger Coral) along 1858 m of mangrove prop roots at Calabash Caye and a much more diverse coral assemblage at Crooked Creek. At Calabash, corals were highly clumped, and varied widely in size and morphology, including large well-arborized colonies, encrusting forms with few branches, and new recruits with no branches, suggesting an age-structuredpopulation exhibiting extensive morphological plasticity. The data described here contributeto an emerging picture of mangroves as potentially critical habitat for many Caribbeancoral species.Accepted manuscrip

Long-Term Intravitreal Ranibizumab as a Potential Additional Risk Factor for Neurodegeneration in Parkinson's Disease: A Case Report.

In November 2012, a 72-year old patient was diagnosed with left eye wet age-related macular degeneration. The patient received three monthly intravitreal injections of ranibizumab, with complete resolution of retinal hemorrhage and edema and reinstatement of visual acuity. In May 2015, symptomatic relapse was detected. The patient was again treated with intravitreal ranibizumab, with overall six injections till the end of February 2016. In May 2016, the patient complained of left hand resting tremor, bradykinesia, and postural rigidity of head and trunk. A diagnosis of clinically established PD was made based on new criteria of the Movement Disorders Society. Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography of the Dopamine Transporter with (123I) ioflupane documented a low Dopamine Transporter (DAT) uptake mostly in the right striatum. Due to the documented protective role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on the dopaminergic neurons, intensive intravitreal injections of the anti-VEGF agent ranibizumab may have played as an additional risk factor accelerating the neurodegeneration process related to PD and the onset of the related clinical signs and symptoms

Economic Performance of Soil and Water Conservation Practicesin Burkina Faso

The continuous degradation of agroecosystems is a major concern for Sub-Saharan African countries, particularly Burkina Faso. To fight against this problem, various research projects and programs have implemented Soil and Water Conservation practices (SWC) in Northern Burkina Faso. The objective of this study was to assess the economic performance of stone rows, grass strips, zaï, filtering dikes, half-moons and agroforestry on agricultural production in this part of Burkina Faso. Stochastic Frontier Analysis was used to estimate SWC’s technical efficiency. Results indicated that the cost for SWC construction did not influence white sorghum and pearl millet yield. However, an increase of 1% in the investment for SWC implementation results in a 0.42% increase in groundnut yield and 0.19% in cowpea yield. Although, the half-moon technique had a positive effect on the farmer’s technical efficiency, the effects of stone rows, filtering dikes, zaï and grass strips were not significant. Given the tremendous efforts that farmers develop to implement these anti-erosion practices, one recommendation is that policy makers strengthen the technical, financial and equipment supports to farmers for efficient implementation of SWC techniques to ensure sustainability of agricultural production systems in Northern Burkina Faso