Locked up, Then Locked out: The Case for Legislative - Rather than Executive - Felon Disenfranchisement Reform

A cohesive anti-felon disenfranchisement perspective has gained traction over the last two decades in America. Scholars have harshly criticized disenfranchisement provisions for their insulation and perpetuation of nonwhite marginalization d la Jim Crow. Other critics have also decried felon disenfranchisement for barring prior felons from full social integration. Still more critics point to how disenfranchisement provisions inequitably affect election outcomes. State leaders, recognizing the prevalent attitude against felon disenfranchisement, have taken significant measures to mitigate disenfranchisement laws-for example, some state governors have issued executive orders categorically re-enfranchising ex-felons. These types of actions are the focus on this Note. Certainly, unilateral executive action is efficient and has been effective in the short-term. However, this Note contends that there are distinct political efficacy and consent theory concerns that emerge when broad felon disenfranchisement reform comes from unilateral executive action. Moreover, this Note argues, gubernatorial action is by and large an inconsistent solution that ultimately fails to address the systemic civic deprivation of nonwhite communities. This Note concludes by proposing federal legislative action-specifically, the Democracy Restoration Act-as a more favorable method of felon disenfranchisement reform

Methods for evaluating changes in cartilage stiffness following electromechanical reshaping

One common component of otolaryngological surgeries is the reshaping of cartilage. Previous studies have demonstrated the efficient achievement of this procedure through electromechanical reshaping (EMR), a technique that involves the direct application of voltage to cartilage that is mechanically deformed in a jig. Two main parameters, voltage and application time, may be regulated to achieve varying degrees of shape change. Although prior research has correlated these EMR parameters with degree of shape change, it remains necessary to correlate the same parameters with the degree of change in the mechanical properties of tissue. Once this is accomplished, an ideal balance may be determined, in which shape change is maximized while intrinsic tissue damage is minimized This study satisfies this need by providing comprehensive data on the pre- and post-EMR stiffness of both septal and auricular cartilage over a range of voltages (2-8V) with constant application time (2 min for septal, 3 min for auricular). EMR was applied using flat platinum electrodes to one of two 15 mm X 5 mm samples obtained from the same cartilage specimen, while the second sample was maintained as a control. Following a 15 min re-hydration period, the Young's modulus of the tissue was calculated for both the control and experimental sample from data obtained through a uniaxial tension test. A general reduction in stiffness was observed beginning at 3V, with the magnitude of reduction increasing at 6V. © 2010 Copyright SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering

Barriers, Challenges, and Supports to the Implementation of Standardized Patients and Simulated Environments by Occupational Therapy Education Programs

A national survey examined the implementation rates, barriers, challenges, and supports to implementation of two types of simulation (standardized patients and simulated environments) by entry-level occupational therapy education programs in the United States. It also sought to identify relationships between program characteristics and implementation of these types of simulation. An online survey inquiring about academic program characteristics and use of simulation was sent to all occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant programs in the United States in 2017 prior to the implementation of the 2018 Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education Standards and the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Data were analyzed using both statistical and content analysis. There were 97 responses to the survey, with an approximate response rate of 23.8%. Thirty-eight percent of responses used standardized patients and 70% used simulated environments in their didactic coursework. Programs at private institutions were more likely to use standardized patients than programs at public institutions (Cramer’s V=0.229; p=0.024). Funding was the most cited support, challenge, and barrier to the use of standardized patients. Physical space was the most cited support and challenge for the use of simulated environments, with funding as the most cited barrier. Study results indicate that adequate funding, space, and potentially other resources are needed for successful implementation of these types of simulation. Future research should further study the barriers and supports to implementation of simulation by occupational therapy academic programs as well as further examination of implementation rates

Hearing the Voice of Medical Students Worldwide

The Student Forum, a new section of PLoS Medicine, is a space where medical students from across the world can exchange ideas about the critical issues affecting health and health care from their unique perspectiv

The Dam1 ring binds to the E-hook of tubulin and diffuses along the microtubule.

There has been much effort in recent years aimed at understanding the molecular mechanism by which the Dam1 kinetochore complex is able to couple microtubule depolymerization to poleward movement. Both a biased diffusion and a forced walk model have been proposed, and several key functional aspects of Dam1-microtubule binding are disputed. Here, we investigate the elements involved in tubulin-Dam1 complex interactions and directly visualize Dam1 rings on microtubules in order to infer their dynamic behavior on the microtubule lattice and its likely relevance at the kinetochore. We find that the Dam1 complex has a preference for native tubulin over tubulin that is lacking its acidic C-terminal tail. Statistical mechanical analysis of images of Dam1 rings on microtubules, applied to both the distance between rings and the tilt angle of the rings with respect to the microtubule axis, supports a diffusive ring model. We also present a cryo-EM reconstruction of the Dam1 ring, likely the relevant assembly form of the complex for energy coupling during microtubule depolymerization in budding yeast. The present studies constitute a significant step forward by linking structural and biochemical observations toward a comprehensive understanding of the Dam1 complex

DEVELOPING POPULATION CONTROL STRATEGIES FOR WILD BOAR MANAGEMENT IN CANADA

Abstract DEVELOPING POPULATION CONTROL STRATEGIES FOR WILD BOAR MANAGEMENT IN CANADA Amanda Wong Advisor: Scott Slocombe Wilfrid Laurier University 2020 Canada’s landscape faces major threats from the growing wild boar (Sus scrofa) population, whose current presence predominantly threatens the Prairie provinces. Globally it has become apparent that wild boars are robust animals with high reproductive rates and destructive behaviours in both their native and non-native ranges. This paper analyzes wild boar management strategies that have been conducted around the world to identify the most effective tools, and those that were unsuccessful. The wild boars in Canada are hybridized pigs, a mix of Sus scrofa and domesticated pigs, which were subsequently released in the 1990s after a failed introduction of game meats in the food sector. To achieve the objective of the research paper, a review of wild boar impacts and management research was completed, with a greater focus on studies from North America. Literature that demonstrated successful removal of wild boar or the reduction of damage by boar within a study site were favored. Following the data extraction, an analysis of the Canadian invasive species strategy at a federal and provincial level was conducted to determine the current weaknesses in invasive species plans and how wild boar management could be incorporated into the existing frameworks. The research suggests that a coordinated approach with non-lethal and lethal tools had the best results in eradicating wild boar. The results from the literature analysis demonstrated that a mixed approach would provide the best results, but this requires more advanced frameworks in provincial and federal strategies. To make the necessary management improvements, more research is required to determine i) the total wild boar numbers in Canada ii) the full extent of ecological damage iii) and the economic losses in the agricultural and natural resource sectors

Grain Physics and Rosseland Mean Opacities

Tables of mean opacities are often used to compute the transfer of radiation in a variety of astrophysical simulations from stellar evolution models to proto-planetary disks. Often tables, such as Ferguson et al. (2005), are computed with a predetermined set of physical assumptions that may or may not be valid for a specific application. This paper explores the effects of several assumptions of grain physics on the Rosseland mean opacity in an oxygen rich environment. We find that changing the distribution of grain sizes, either the power-law exponent or the shape of the distribution, has a marginal effect on the total mean opacity. We also explore the difference in the mean opacity between solid homogenous grains and grains that are porous or conglomorations of several species. Changing the amount of grain opacity included in the mean by assuming a grain-to-gas ratio significantly affects the mean opacity, but in a predictable way.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

La Gestión Administrativa del Director y Desempeño Pedagógico de los Docentes de la Institución Educativa Primaria Nº 60192- Distrito de Belén 2016

El objetivo del presente estudio fue: Determinar la relación entre la gestión administrativa del director y el Desempeño Pedagógico de los docentes de la Institución Educativa Primaria Nº 60192- Distrito de Belén 2016. El estudio fue de tipo no experimental, porque no se realizó manipulación de las variables. La población estuvo conformada por los docentes, administrativos, personal de servicio del nivel primario de la Institución Educativa Primaria Nº 60192 del distrito de Belén, que fueron un total de 21 personas. La muestra estuvo conformada por el 100% de los docentes de educación primaria, administrativo y de servicio, que suman 21 personas. La técnica que se emplearon en el estudio fue: la encuesta y el instrumento fue: El cuestionario, aplicados a los docentes, personal de servicios de educación primaria de la Institución Educativa Primaria N° 60192 del distrito de Belén”, 2016. Para el procesamiento de los datos, se utilizó el software SPSS versión 15 en español, con lo que se obtuvo la matriz de los datos que sirvió para organizar la información en tablas y gráficos. Para el análisis e interpretación de la información se empleó la estadística descriptiva: frecuencia, promedio (X) simple y porcentajes y la estadística inferencial no paramétrica CHI CUADRADA (X2). Con la finalidad de contrastar la hipótesis de investigación, se aplicó la prueba estadística inferencial no paramétrica o de distribución libre, denominada Chi Cuadrada (X2), obteniéndose X2c = 8.42 > X2t = 3.841,es decir, X2c ≠ X2t,con un gl = 1,8 = 0.05; resultado que permitió aceptar la hipótesis de estudio que dice :Existe relación significativa entre la gestión administrativa del director y el desempeño pedagógico de los docentes de la Institución Educativa Primaria Nº 60192- Distrito de Belén 2016