Experience of Robotic Exoskeleton Use at Four Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems Centers

Background and Purpose: Refinement of robotic exoskeletons for overground walking is progressing rapidly. We describe clinicians\u27 experiences, evaluations, and training strategies using robotic exoskeletons in spinal cord injury rehabilitation and wellness settings and describe clinicians\u27 perceptions of exoskeleton benefits and risks and developments that would enhance utility. Methods: We convened focus groups at 4 spinal cord injury model system centers. A court reporter took verbatim notes and provided a transcript. Research staff used a thematic coding approach to summarize discussions. Results: Thirty clinicians participated in focus groups. They reported using exoskeletons primarily in outpatient and wellness settings; 1 center used exoskeletons during inpatient rehabilitation. A typical episode of outpatient exoskeleton therapy comprises 20 to 30 sessions and at least 2 staff members are involved in each session. Treatment focuses on standing, stepping, and gait training; therapists measure progress with standardized assessments. Beyond improved gait, participants attributed physiological, psychological, and social benefits to exoskeleton use. Potential risks included falls, skin irritation, and disappointed expectations. Participants identified enhancements that would be of value including greater durability and adjustability, lighter weight, 1-hand controls, ability to navigate stairs and uneven surfaces, and ability to balance without upper extremity support. Discussion and Conclusions: Each spinal cord injury model system center had shared and distinct practices in terms of how it integrates robotic exoskeletons into physical therapy services. There is currently little evidence to guide integration of exoskeletons into rehabilitation therapy services and a pressing need to generate evidence to guide practice and to inform patients\u27 expectations as more devices enter the market. Background and Purpose: Refinement of robotic exoskeletons for overground walking is progressing rapidly. We describe clinicians\u27 experiences, evaluations, and training strategies using robotic exoskeletons in spinal cord injury rehabilitation and wellness settings and describe clinicians\u27 perceptions of exoskeleton benefits and risks and developments that would enhance utility. Methods: We convened focus groups at 4 spinal cord injury model system centers. A court reporter took verbatim notes and provided a transcript. Research staff used a thematic coding approach to summarize discussions. Results: Thirty clinicians participated in focus groups. They reported using exoskeletons primarily in outpatient and wellness settings; 1 center used exoskeletons during inpatient rehabilitation. A typical episode of outpatient exoskeleton therapy comprises 20 to 30 sessions and at least 2 staff members are involved in each session. Treatment focuses on standing, stepping, and gait training; therapists measure progress with standardized assessments. Beyond improved gait, participants attributed physiological, psychological, and social benefits to exoskeleton use. Potential risks included falls, skin irritation, and disappointed expectations. Participants identified enhancements that would be of value including greater durability and adjustability, lighter weight, 1-hand controls, ability to navigate stairs and uneven surfaces, and ability to balance without upper extremity support. Discussion and Conclusions: Each spinal cord injury model system center had shared and distinct practices in terms of how it integrates robotic exoskeletons into physical therapy services. There is currently little evidence to guide integration of exoskeletons into rehabilitation therapy services and a pressing need to generate evidence to guide practice and to inform patients\u27 expectations as more devices enter the market

Who Can “Seize the Day?”: Analyzing Who Is an “Employee” for Purposes of Unionization and Collective Bargaining Through the Lens of the “Newsie” Strike of 1899

In the summer of 1899, the Newsboys of New York banded together, formed a union, and began to “strike” against two of the city’s largest newspapers in response to a price increase. After a two-week struggle, the newspaper companies agreed to compromise by buying back any unsold papers at the end of the day from the Newsboys. They did not, however, agree to the Newsboys’ classification of the effort as a “strike.” The newspapers saw this as a boycott of non-employees, or independent contractors. After the turn of the century, Congress began to pass laws protecting employees, and in 1935 they passed the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which protected employees’ rights to unionize, collectively bargain, and strike. The Newsboys, eager to solidify their rights, argued to the Supreme Court in 1944, in NLRB. v. Hearst Publications, Inc., that they were in fact employees. Although the Court agreed, Congress did not, and in response passed the “Taft-Hartley” amendments to the NLRA. These amendments excluded independent contractors from the definition of employee, introducing a major issue into the labor realm—how do you differentiate between an independent contractor and an employee for the purposes of unionization and collective bargaining? This Note examines the distinction between employees and independent contractors through the case example of the Newsboys and ponders if the distinction is necessary or if it merely denies workers’ rights

Le crime en série(s). Essai de sociologie du mal américain

L’auteur du présent article examine quelques aspects de l’évolution narratologique récente des séries télévisées américaines, à la lumière d’hypothèses concernant l’expression, par le récit policier, des normes définissant le bien et le mal : tout récit policier expliciterait les fondements de ce que Norbert Élias appelle la « structure nous-je », c’est-à-dire les règles de comportement individuel vis-à-vis du collectif. Le malfaiteur (criminel, escroc, etc.) veut briser cette structure ou la mettre à son service, tandis que l’enquêteur veut la rétablir ou la réparer au nom de ce même collectif. De ce point de vue, l’évolution du récit policier pourrait refléter les mutations des comportements individuels, en particulier des comportements criminels. Le récit policier se conjugue médiatiquement de façons diverses : livre, cinéma et télévision en sont les manifestations principales. L’influence de la série télévisée ne cesse de grandir, sans que sa réceptivité aux changements de l’espace public ne diminue, structure de production oblige. Une transformation récente dans l’élaboration des personnages de criminels pourrait être le signe d’un ajustement des mentalités contemporaines. En effet, les créateurs de séries policières ont tendance à ne plus se contenter de mettre en scène les habituels criminels endurcis, préférant montrer des assassins « occasionnels », des personnes ordinaires souvent plus cruelles et indifférentes que les « méchants » usuels. Ce changement pourrait exprimer une nouvelle forme de liberté « absolue » à l’égard des normes sociales : chacun serait libéré de toute obligation dès lors que son désir serait entravé. Logiquement, seuls des policiers ayant eux aussi passé les bornes de la loi pourraient s’opposer à ces nouveaux malfaiteurs. Quelques caractéristiques de deux séries récentes, CSI et The Shield, sont examinées en ce sens.The present article examines recent narrative developments in American television series in the light of hypotheses concerning how police shows express norms defining good and evil. In this view, all police shows make explicit what Norbert Élias calls the “we-I structure,” or the rules of individual behaviour in the community. The person who commits a misdeed (a crime, a swindle, etc.) seeks to break this structure or to place it at his service, while the investigator wishes to re-establish it or repair it in the name of the community. From this perspective, the evolution of the police show might reflect changes in individual behaviour, in particular criminal behaviour. The influence of television series is constantly growing, while their receptivity to changes in public space, thanks to their production structure, is not diminishing. A recent transformation in the description of criminal types may be the sign of an adjustment to contemporary sensibilities. The producers of police shows seem no longer to be content to show the usual hardened criminals, preferring to show “occasional” murderers: ordinary people who are often crueller and more indifferent than the usual “bad guys.” This change may be the expression of a new kind of “absolute” freedom with respect to social norms: anyone can throw off all obligations the moment their desire is thwarted. Logically, only the police, who themselves have also exceeded the limits of the law, can confront these new criminals. A few characteristics of two recent series, CSI and The Shield, will be discussed in this light

Qu’est-ce que tu as vu à Chelmno? Shoah, un monumentaire

Shoah pose un problème à la théorie du documentaire, dans la mesure où le film ne se présente pas comme l'enregistrement du réel par un Je-origine (lui-même réel). À l'inverse de ce qu'opère un « documentariste classique », l'auteur montre que le film se présente comme constituant sa référence, non son enregistrement. Désignant ce film par le terme de « monumentaire », l'auteur étudie les processus référentiels qui y sont engagés à la lumière de Les Individus de P.F. Strawson.The film Shoah poses a problem for the theory of documentary cinema : it does not present itself as a transcription of reality by an equally real "I" at its source. The filmmaker reveals that the film constitutes his reference rather than recording him directly, the way a classical documentary would. Calling such a film "monumentary," the author analyses the referential processes at work in it, following the ideas set out by P.F. Strawson in his work Individuals

Éléments de sociologie du film

Dans le présent article, l’auteur cherche à approfondir la « sociologie du cinéma » amorcée par Pierre Sorlin en posant les jalons d’une sociologie du film capable d’intégrer les apports de l’analyse de film. En s’appuyant sur les acquis des travaux d’histoire du cinéma, sur la réflexion patiente des historiens d’art et, aussi, sur deux études de cas portant sur l’oeuvre de Hitchcock et celle de Godard, il trace les contours théoriques d’une sociologie du film. Elle commence avec une définition originale du film, considéré comme un processus qui traverse des états différents tout au long de son histoire. Cette définition suppose un ensemble de concepts que l’auteur s’attache à présenter, avec l’espoir d’en réduire le nombre et de les adapter aux différentes pratiques de recherches. On appelle institution cinématographique le lieu où les films sont fabriqués suivant des directives caractéristiques : les directives définissent les genres et les formats des projets de film entrepris. Les cinéastes, pour réaliser ces directives, utilisent des modèles énonciatifs qui relèvent de leur compétence. Ainsi, chaque film peut être mesuré par rapport aux habitudes et conventions que ces modèles impliquent. En ce sens, il constitue une image ou une paraphrase de son institution : il en figure la logique propre. L’interprétation du film achevé procède de l’une ou l’autre logique du lieu où il est présenté. On appelle institutions d’interprétation de tels lieux. Un film y est interprété suivant le savoir culturel des publics qui, à partir de leur conception du monde et à partir du contexte de fabrication du film, lui appliquent les modèles interprétatifs qu’ils jugent appropriés. Ce qu’on appelle « le sens » d’un film est donc exactement le résultat d’un processus interprétatif particulier, et la sociologie du film doit nécessairement tenir compte du fait qu’un film possède en général plusieurs significations, chacune d’elles résultant de la rencontre entre le film et un public spécifique.In this article, the author develops Pierre Sorlin’s idea of a “sociology of the cinema” by laying down the basis for a sociology of the film which could incorporate the contributions of film analysis. Using what we know from histories of the cinema and the patient work of film historians, in addition to two case studies, on Hitchcock and Godard, he sketches the theoretical framework for a sociology of the film. This sociology begins with an original definition of film, seen as a process which takes various forms throughout its history. This definition presupposes a range of concepts which the author introduces in the hope of reducing their number and adapting them to different research practices. The site of film production is known as the cinematic institution, where films are made according to typical directives; these directives define the genre and format of the films being produced. In order to carry out these directives, filmmakers use models of enunciation within their own field of activity. In this way, any film can be measured against the customs and conventions involved in these models. In this sense, the film is an image or paraphrase of its institution: it gives form to its internal logic. Interpretation of the completed film is carried out according to a particular logic of the place where it is shown. Such places are known as interpretative institutions. There, a film is interpreted according to the cultural knowledge of audiences who, using their conception of the means by which and context in which the film was produced, apply the interpretative models they deem appropriate. What we call a film’s “meaning” is thus the exact result of a specific interpretative process, and a sociology of the film must take into account the fact that a film usually has several meanings, each one the result of an encounter between a film and its specific audience

Southwest of Salem : The Story of the San Antonio Four

Directed by Deborah S. Esquenazi, this documentary is a “true crime tale of the \u27San Antonio Four,\u27 four latina lesbians fight[ing] against mythology, homophobia, and prosecutorial fervor in their quest for exoneration after being wrongfully convicted of a horrific crime during the satanic panic era of the 80s and 90s. The documentary will be followed by a panel discussion of faculty. Refreshments will be served

The Development and Debut of Adam Esquenazi Douglas\u27 Play Murder and the English Gentleman

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the development process of the creation of a new playscript, Murder and the English Gentleman , an adaptation of the short story Lord Arthur Savile\u27s Crime by Oscar Wilde. The play is a wild, comedy-of-manners presented in classic Wildean 19th century drawing room style. The document details the process of getting this script from short story to script to stage. Also included are some of the play\u27s most significant drafts, the original short story by Wilde, production and rehearsal journals, and production photos. The play was presented by the University of Arkansas\u27 Boar\u27s Head Players for the 2010 New Play Showcase at Nadine Baum Studios at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas

A Novel Platelet Activating Factor Receptor Antagonist Reduces Cell Infiltration and Expression of Inflammatory Mediators in Mice Exposed to Desiccating Conditions after PRK

Purpose. To study the contribution of a novel PAF receptor antagonist LAU-0901 in the modulation of the increased inflammatory response in mice exposed to dessicating conditions (DE) after PRK. Methods. Eighty 13-14 week old female Balb/C mice were used. They were divided into two groups: One group was treated with LAU-0901 topical drops. The other group was treated with vehicle. In each group ten mice served as controls and ten were placed in DE. The other twenty mice underwent bilateral PRK and were divided in two additional groups: ten mice remained under normal conditions (NC) and the other ten were exposed to DE. After 1 week all animals underwent in vivo confocal microscopy, immunostaining and western blotting analysis. Results. Confocal microscopy showed an increased number of reflective structures in the corneal epithelium after PRK and exposure to DE in eyes treated with vehicle as compared to eyes treated with LAU-090). Significant decrease of COX-2 and Arginase I expression and reduced alpha SMA cells was observed after PRK and exposure to DE in eyes treated with LAU-0901. Discussion: Exposure of mice to a DE after PRK increases the epithelial turnover rate. PAF is involved in the inflammatory cell infiltration and expression of inflammatory cytokines that follow PRK under DE

Understanding the “Activation” of the Nanocluster [HxPMo12O40⊂H4Mo72Fe30(O2CMe)15O254(H2O)98-y(EtOH)y] for Low Temperature Growth of Carbon Nanotubes

The molecular nanocluster HxPMo12O40⊂H4Mo72Fe30(O2CMe)15O254(H2O)98-y(EtOH)y (FeMoC), was the first molecular catalyst precursor (pro-catalyst) that promised controlled growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs); however, temperatures in excess of ~ 900 °C or the addition of excess iron were required as catalyst promoters for CNT growth. To understand these disappointing results the “activation” of FeMoC for CNT growth was studied by systematic investigation of H2 gas concentration and growth temperature. The pathway for “activation” of FeMoC occurs through the sufficient reduction of both metal oxide components in the pro-catalyst. By ensuring pro-catalyst reduction prior to introduction of growth gases, we demonstrate for the first time, growth of CNTs at temperatures as low as 600 °C without the use of catalyst promoters using the single molecular precursor, FeMoC. To understand the role of catalyst promoters used in prior work, thermogravimetric analysis experiments were performed. The addition of an iron catalyst promoter is observed to play two key roles in the “activation” of FeMoC: (1) to replenish sublimated metal atoms, and (2) to reduce the reduction temperature required for reduction of FeMoC into an “active” catalyst. These results caution the conditions employed in many earlier studies for CNT growth, and create new possibilities for molecular pro-catalysts

An Exploration of Campus-Wide Pauses of Fraternity and Sorority Communities: Utilizing a Four Frame Approach

In recent years universities have tried to address fraternity and sorority drinking and hazing culture by utilizing pauses on fraternity and sorority activity. This study of this phenomena appears to be absent from the extent literature on prevention strategies. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the phenomena of campus-wide pauses of fraternity and sorority communities. The two cases examined were at large public research institutions with robust fraternity and sorority communities. Analysis occurred through a process of open coding, theoretical propositions, derived from Bolman and Deals organizational frames and cross case analysis. Data was collected through a series of semi-structured interviews and documents collected through a combination of web searches, public information request and provided by six interviewees across both institutions. Analysis revealed several themes associated with the strategies used during a campus-wide pause of fraternity and sorority communities including policy, people, and message. The study also revealed that campuses engaged some of Bolman and Deals organizational frames more than others. Finally, the study exposed the perceived results of a campus-wide pause which aligned into four categories, attention, relationships, symbolism, and cycle