Honoring Veterans Means Funding Suicide Prevention

Many Americans may not know that it was Dwight D. Eisenhower who in 1954 issued the official proclamation celebrating the service of all veterans by designating Nov. 11, formerly known as Armistice Day, in honor of our vets. Eisenhower, of course, was supreme commander of Allied Forces in Europe during World War II and commander in chief as the 34th president of the United States. In Ike’s words, “on that day let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain.” This Veterans Day, millions of Americans thank a veteran for serving our nation, but during the hour-long service at the local elementary school or church cemetery, a veteran or active-duty member of the armed forces will take his own life: The harsh reality is that the average suicide rate today among all those who are serving or have served is more than 20 per day — 17 are veterans. [excerpt

Tax and Spending Policy and Economic Mobility

Surveys the literature on how economic mobility is affected by federal tax policies such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and deductions for home ownership; government spending on education and health care; and income supports such as Social Security

Evaluation of the Water Quality Impacts of Land Application of Poultry Litter

Evaluating the effect of land application of animal waste on water quality is fraught with inherent variability due to differing infiltration rates, slope, rainfall intensity and etc . Simulated rainfall technology has been used in erosion research for decades. Generally, this technology is used on plots of sufficient size (25 x 5 m) to develop rill and interrill erosion. The object of this investigation was to adapt and modify existing rainfall simulation technology used in soil erosion research for use in evaluating water quality impacts of land application of animal waste, and to test, evaluate and demonstrate it\u27s scientific validity. State of the art simulation technology was obtained from the National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory located on the campus of Purdue University. The technology was scaled (2 x 6 m) and modified to fit into field research programs having several treatments and rep 1 i cated p 1 ots . The technology was shown to meet specification needed to produce the required raindrop size and velocity, flexibility in storm intensity, while maintaining uniformity(\u3e 0.8). Equally important, the unit is portable and fits well into labor intensive runoff work requiring replication of a variety of treatments

Propagating Waves in a Monolayer of Gas-Fluidized Rods

We report on an observation of propagating compression waves in a quasi-two-dimensional monolayer of apolar granular rods fluidized by an upflow of air. The collective wave speed is an order of magnitude faster than the speed of the particles. This gives rise to anomalously large number fluctuations dN ~ $N^{0.72 \pm 0.04}$, which are greater than ordinary number fluctuations of N^{1/2}. We characterize the waves by calculating the spatiotemporal power spectrum of the density. The position of observed peaks, as a function of frequency w and wavevector k, yields a linear dispersion relationship in the long-time, long-wavelength limit and a wavespeed c = w/k. Repeating this analysis for systems at different densities and air speeds, we observe a linear increase in the wavespeed with increasing packing fraction with no dependence on the airflow. Although air-fluidized rods self-propel individually or in dilute collections, the parallel and perpendicular root-mean-square speeds of the rods indicate that they no longer self-propel when propagating waves are present. Based on this mutual exclusivity, we map out the phase behavior for the existence of waves vs self-propulsion as a function of density and fluidizing airflow

Preliminary feasibility study of a multi-Phobos encounter experiment during the Viking extended mission

The Viking '75 Mission to Mars is reported which permits a truly unique opportunity to explore the natural satellite, Phobos, from distances measured in tens of kilometers. A preliminary feasibility study has been made which shows that a science mission involving a Phobos close encounter is technically feasible and within the capabilities of the current Viking design. For less than 20 m/s, the Viking Orbiter can provide approximately two 40-day periods of close observation of Phobos, with the first encounter period in January and the second in March, 1977. Multi-pass images of the entire satellite from nearly all aspect angles and with resolution on the order of 10 meters are possible. Close encounters will permit mass determinations to an accuracy of tens of percent. These experiments can be performed in series with the nominal mission; thus, providing complementary scientific information without compromising the original mission and science objectives

The National Medical Association’s Call For Responsibility During the Progressive Era: The Duty of Black Physicians to Improve Conditions in Black Communities to Combat Tuberculosis Mortality Rates.

The National Medical Association (NMA) was founded in 1895 after the American Medical Association denied a group of black physicians membership. Black physicians used this organization as a platform to launch a three-tiered approach to combating the tuberculosis epidemic: debunking popular beliefs of black biological inferiority, proactive education of the black community on proper hygiene and behavior, and lobbying to gain support from social reforms and campaigns by targeting white anxieties and morals. The NMA identified the causes of high death rates among black populations from tuberculosis as environmental, economic and social conditions. They placed the primary responsibility of changing these conditions and improving health on black physicians rather than depending solely on white run social reforms and aid. In order to improve the conditions and health of blacks, the NMA encouraged black physicians to educate the black community about tuberculosis causes, prevention and treatment. As tuberculosis mortality rates in black communities held constant, the NMA realized they needed the support of established social reform movements to effectively combat the disease. Many Progressive Era social reform movements improved environmental and economic conditions for whites but often excluded black communities. Whites dominated the Anti-Tuberculosis Movement’s campaigns and usually excluded blacks from the aid they provided to tuberculosis patients. The NMA in turn played off of white anxieties concerning contamination and moral obligation in order to gain resources to improve black conditions. The NMA felt that black physicians’ held the responsibility to educate the public and gain support from previously racially exclusive social movements

Development of Improved Rhenium Coatings for Fluorine Engine Thrust Chambers

Coating trials were undertaken to evaluate the application of rhenium to carbon-carbon composite sheet by plasma spraying. Optimum spray parameters and coating thickness were identified for production of coatings free from continuous defects and with adequate adherence to the substrate. A tungsten underlayer was not beneficial and possibly detracted from coating integrity. Stress calculations indicated that the proposed operating cycle of the rocket engine would not cause spalling of the rhenium coating. Calculations indicated that permeation of gases through the coating would not be significant during the expected life of the thrust chamber. The feasibility of applying rhenium coatings by laser melting was also studied. Poor wetting of the composite surface by the liquid rhenium precluded production of uniform coatings. Borate/carborate fluxes did not improve wetting characteristics

Infliximab for treatment-refractory transverse myelitis following immune therapy and radiation.

BackgroundNeurologic toxicities with immune therapy are rare, but can cause devastating and often permanent injury when they occur. Although there is increasing interest in the potential synergism between immune therapy and radiation, it is possible that such combinations may lead to a greater number or increased severity of immune-related adverse events. We present here a case of extensive and progressive transverse myelitis following combined therapy, which did not improve until treatment with infliximab. This case highlights the unmet need for treatment of adverse events that are refractory to consensus recommendations, and may ultimately require further study and incorporation into future published guidelines.Case presentationWe report a case of a 68-year-old with metastatic melanoma, who developed transverse myelitis in the setting of immune checkpoint blockade and spinal irradiation for vertebral metastases. Despite management according to published consensus guidelines: cessation of immune therapy, high-dose steroids, and plasmapheresis, he continued to deteriorate neurologically, and imaging revealed a progressive and ascending transverse myelitis. The patient was then treated with infliximab, and demonstrated dramatic imaging and modest clinical improvement following the first treatment cycle.ConclusionsThis is the first report describing the successful use of infliximab in immune therapy and radiation-related transverse myelitis that was not responding to recommended therapy. Evaluation of additional treatment options such as infliximab for high-grade immune-related neurologic toxicities is warranted, and may be needed earlier in the disease process to prevent significant morbidity. The adverse effects of immune therapy when used in combination with radiation also require further investigation

Voting Realism

Since Shelby County v. Holder, the country has grown accustomed to life without the full strength of the Voting Rights Act. Efforts to restore Section 4 have been met with calls to ignore race conscious remedies and employ race neutral remedies for modern day voting rights violations. In this new normal, the country should adopt “voting realism” as the new approach to ensuring that law and reality work to address these new millennium methods of voter discrimination