Extraordinary Rendition, Victims’ Rights and State Obligations

This paper draws on the recently published reports by The Constitution Project’s Task Force on Detainee Treatment and the Open Society Justice Initiative to explore the issue of human rights violations committed by the United States and its partners via the extraordinary rendition program. It focuses on two specific human rights violations, torture and refoulement, and the legal obligations these violations trigger. It examines the obligation to compensate victims specifically and reviews how former detainees have exercised their rights to reparation. The inquiry reflects on the challenges for those seeking reparation and opportunities for non-state actors to contribute to that effort by supporting documentation, truth-seeking, and truth-telling. The analysis concludes that although progress has been made, reparation efforts have thus far been unable to overcome the gap in accountability for human rights violations resulting from the rendition program, compromising the fulfillment of victims’ rights to reparation

Flow in contemporary musicians: Individual differences in flow proneness, anxiety, and emotional intelligence

Flow is a highly focused state of consciousness that is rewarding, fulfilling, and sought after by many, especially musicians. It is characterized by exceptional levels of concentration, loss of self-consciousness, and competent control over one’s actions. Several personality and non-cognitive traits have been positively linked with flow proneness, such as emotional intelligence; however, anxiety is thought to be the antithesis of flow, yet the relationship between trait anxiety and flow proneness in musicians is not adequately characterized. This study investigated the individual differences in flow proneness in contemporary musicians (N=664), focusing on the interaction of trait anxiety and emotional intelligence. We identified a significant negative correlation between trait anxiety and flow. Emotional intelligence was positively correlated with flow proneness and negatively with trait anxiety. Moderation analysis revealed a difference in the relationship between trait anxiety and flow depending on the level of emotional intelligence; there was no correlation in those with low emotional intelligence, whereas a strong negative relationship was found in those with high emotional intelligence. Finally, hierarchical regression indicated that musical training was the most substantial predictor of all the tested variables and that trait anxiety did not add any predictive power on top of the known predictors. Altogether, this study provided new insights into the possible disruption of flow proneness linked to high anxiety and low emotional intelligence in contemporary musicians

Unleasing Z Monster

Houston Community College will share experiences of creating what sometimes feels like an enormous and unrealizable task and what may seem to be a monstrous educational disruption, a Z-Degree. Building a Z-Degree might seem like simply a matter of packaging courses, but in reality, it requires design, intention, and cultivation. After years of piecemeal attempts to adopt and promote OER, HCC gained focus with a directive to launch a Z-Degree, which came from multiple stakeholders, including students, Board of Trustees, senior administration, and faculty champions. This commitment enabled us to secure external and internal funding sources, clarify policies and procedures, and ultimately place OER on a solid foundation for the future. We will share our process for revising and adopting an OER policy guide, identifying and recruiting faculty, and engaging with multiple stakeholders within the institution (Board of Trustees, administration, faculty, libraries, CTLE, and students). HCC has partnered with Lumen Learning to provide initial training and course hosting, and we are working with our Institute for Instructional Engagement & Development to create a sustainable infrastructure to build our capacity of OER course offerings. In some cases, it has been necessary to make compromises to bring critical programs on board, but the college has done so out of a commitment to the ultimate goal of building a complete degree plan and developing OERs options for the future. Finally, HCC is establishing a program for data collection and analysis in order to understand the effects of the initiative on key indicators. This session will include real time polls and Twitter feeds. It is aimed at all levels, but particularly colleges who want to launch a Z Degree

Absence of prostate oedema obviates the need for delay between fiducial marker insertion and radiotherapy simulation

Introduction: Fiducial markers (FMs) are commonly inserted into the prostate for image guided radiation therapy. This study aimed to quantify prostate oedema immediately following FM insertion compared to prostate volumes measured a week later, at the time of simulation for radiation therapy. Methods: Thirty patients underwent a verification computed tomography (VCT) scan in treatment position immediately after the fiducial insertion and their planning computed tomography scan (PCT) one week after. Patient data sets were retrospectively evaluated, comparing prostate volumes and planning target volumes (PTV). Volumes were delineated by a single radiation oncologist, blinded to whether the scan was VCT or PCT. Distances between the FMs were measured on both scans. Descriptive statistics described the data, DICE similarity co-efficient (DSC) calculated, and paired t-tests were used to compare paired data. Results: The median prostate volume was 35.09 cc and 36.31 cc for VCT and PCT data sets, respectively, and median PTV was 118.56 cc and 127.04 cc for VCT and PCT, respectively. There was no significant difference in prostate volumes (P = 0.3037) or PTV (P = 0.1279), with a DSC of 0.87 (range 0.76-0.91) and 0.91 (range 0.85 to 0.95), respectively. Similarly, there was no significant difference in distance between fiducial markers (P > 0.05). Conclusion: This study demonstrates no statistically significant difference in prostate or PTV volumes (P > 0.05) between the CT acquired at fiducial marker insertion compared with the CT acquired a week later. Therefore, oedema is not significant enough to justify a delay between FM insertion and simulation

Pediatric Rapid Response Team Implementation and Outcomes in a Children’s Hospital within a Mixed Academic Health Center

Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) are teamsof healthcare providers called to patient bedside for unexpected or sudden changes inpatient conditions. Such teams are intended to intervene before patients experience Sudden Adverse Events (SAEs) or require ‘code blue’ activation. Markers such as abnormal vital signs raise concern for providers and patient families as these acute changes may precedecardiopulmonary arrest (CPA).2 A mechanismof activation to urgently introduce additional providers to bedside allows for patients to be seen before patient deterioration. A systematic review noted that “rapid response systems were associated with a reduction in hospital mortality and cardiopulmonary arrest.

Nitrogen uptake strategies of edaphically specialized Bornean tree species

The association of tree species with particular soil types contributes to high b diversity in forests, but the mechanisms producing such distributions are still debated. Soil nitrogen (N) often limits growth and occurs in differentially available chemical forms. In a Bornean forest where tree species composition changes dramatically along a soil gradient varying in supplies of different N-forms, we investigated whether tree species’ N-uptake and soil specialization strategies covaried. We analyzed foliar 15N natural abundance for a total of 216 tree species on clay or sandy loam (the soils at the gradient’s extremes) and conducted a 15N-tracer experiment with nine specialist and generalist species to test whether species displayed flexible or differential uptake of ammonium and nitrate. Despite variation in ammonium and nitrate supplies and nearly 4 % difference in foliar δ15N between most soil specialists and populations of generalists on these soils, our 15N tracer experiment showed little support for the hypothesis that soil specialists vary in N-form use or the ratios in which they use these forms. Instead, our results indicate that these species possess flexible capacities to take up different inorganic N forms. Variation between soil specialists in uptake of different N forms is thus unlikely to cause the soil associations of tree species and high b diversity characteristic of this Bornean rain forest. Flexible uptake strategies would facilitate N-acquisition when supply rates of N-forms exhibit spatiotemporal variation and suggest that these species may be functionally redundant in their responses to N gradients and influences on ecosystem N-cycles

Perceived support for innovation and individual innovation readiness as mediators between transformational leadership and innovative work behaviour

While transformational leadership is often seen to induce innovative work behaviour of employees, little is known about the psychological mechanisms through which this effect occurs. This research conceptualises the mediating effect of perceived support for innovation and individual innovation readiness in a series between transformational leadership on innovative work behaviour. We use the responses of 428 employees from six service organisations in Singapore to test our three-path mediation model. As hypothesised, the data supported the three-path mediation model. Results revealed a partial mediating role of support for innovation and a fully mediating role of individual innovation readiness. This finding is useful for designing and implementing effective human resource and organisational development interventions, with the objective of facilitating innovation in the workforce