Small But Mighty: Letters-to-the-Editor Published on the Zika Virus, 1952 - 2018

Objective: To conduct a bibliometric analysis of Letters-to-the-Editor published on the Zika Virus between 1952 and 2018. Methods: A PubMed search was conducted on the terms (Zika OR ZIKV). Results were limited to Publication Date = 1952-2018, and Publication Type = Letter. Results were exported to EndNote, and the full-text (PDF) of each Letter was examined. Non-Letters, duplicates, irrelevant results, and incorrectly indexed items were excluded. Letters discovered serendipitously were added. The total number of Letters published and their date distribution was determined. The Letters were categorized as Reader Response, Author Reply, Observation, Case Report, or Research. Additional parameters included the number of authors, number of references, use of graphics, and funding. Results: Between 1952 and 2018, 499 Letters-to-the-Editor about the Zika Virus were published, with the majority being published in 2016 or later. These were categorized as 29.9% Reader Responses, 11.2% Author Replies, 22.4% Observations, 14.0% Case Reports, and 22.4% Research. The Letters were written by 1-35 authors, and included 0-63 references. Over 38% of Letters contained graphics, and 15% reported funding support. An interesting anomaly were the 104 letters authored or co-authored by one particular individual, which constituted 20.8% of the total. Conclusion: Contrary to conventional wisdom, this study has shown that Letters-to-the-Editor are often much more than simply reader responses to a published article, and may serve as a source of clinical or research information. However, this study also demonstrates that the characteristics of this publication type may make it susceptible to various anomalies

Supporting strategy : a survey of UK OR/MS practitioners

This paper reports the results of an on-line survey conducted with practitioner members of the UK Operational Research (OR) Society. The purpose of the survey was to explore the current practice of supporting strategy in terms of activities supported and tools used. The results of the survey are compared to those of previous surveys to explore developments in, inter-alia, the use of management/strategy tools and „soft‟ Operational Research / Management Science (OR/MS) tools. The survey results demonstrate that OR practitioners actively support strategy within their organisations. Whilst a wide variety of tools, drawn from the OR/MS and management / strategy fields are used to support strategy within organisations, the findings suggest that soft OR/MS tools are not regularly used. The findings also demonstrate that tools are combined to support strategy from both within and across the OR/MS and management / strategy fields. The paper ends by identifying a number of areas for further research

Next Shift: Beyond the Nonprofit Leadership Cycle

This report takes a broader look at the issue of generational change and presents different challenges and solutions that move beyond the crisis view of leadership transition and expansion

Poster: Aligning Library Instruction with the Needs of Basic Science Graduate Students

Donna and Fran\u27s poster discusses the need to replace the library\u27s current model of library instruction with one better suited to the needs of basic science graduate students. The poster outlines the methodology, the results, and the conclusions that came from this push to redesign

Directed enzyme evolution: climbing fitness peaks one amino acid at a time

Directed evolution can generate a remarkable range of new enzyme properties. Alternate substrate specificities and reaction selectivities are readily accessible in enzymes from families that are naturally functionally diverse. Activities on new substrates can be obtained by improving variants with broadened specificities or by step-wise evolution through a sequence of more and more challenging substrates. Evolution of highly specific enzymes has been demonstrated, even with positive selection alone. It is apparent that many solutions exist for any given problem, and there are often many paths that lead uphill, one step at a time

After Guantanamo: War, Crime, and Detention

Neither the law of war nor the criminal law, alone or in combination, provides an adequate legal structure for responding to the most serious threats posed by Al Qaeda and similar groups. After identifying the limits of the criminal law and the law of war for these purposes, this article outlines a comprehensive proposal for counterterrorism prosecution and detention policy. Appended to the article is the draft Counterterrorism Detention, Treatment and Release Act. The legislation proposed: 1) defines the category of persons to be subject to detention; 2) delineates procedures for identifying individuals falling within that category; 3) provides a system for the appeal and periodic review of detention determinations; 4) prescribes standards of detention; and, 5) specifies criteria for and conditions of release. It contains provisions for application of the Act in the territorial U.S. and abroad, in theaters of hostilities, and otherwise. The draft legislation provides the requisite legal foundation and procedural framework for protection of national security while upholding constitutional principles, complying with the law of war, and safeguarding against erroneous detention. It is applicable equally to the disposition of the detainees currently at Guantanamo as to other instances of counterterrorism detention, elsewhere or in the future. The legislation proposed thus provides a mechanism for resolving the quandaries of Guantanamo in a principled manner, without the creation of ad hoc rules for special cases

After Guantanamo: War, Crime, and Detention

Neither the law of war nor the criminal law, alone or in combination, provides an adequate legal structure for responding to the most serious threats posed by Al Qaeda and similar groups. After identifying the limits of the criminal law and the law of war for these purposes, this article outlines a comprehensive proposal for counterterrorism prosecution and detention policy. Appended to the article is the draft Counterterrorism Detention, Treatment and Release Act. The legislation proposed: 1) defines the category of persons to be subject to detention; 2) delineates procedures for identifying individuals falling within that category; 3) provides a system for the appeal and periodic review of detention determinations; 4) prescribes standards of detention; and, 5) specifies criteria for and conditions of release. It contains provisions for application of the Act in the territorial U.S. and abroad, in theaters of hostilities, and otherwise. The draft legislation provides the requisite legal foundation and procedural framework for protection of national security while upholding constitutional principles, complying with the law of war, and safeguarding against erroneous detention. It is applicable equally to the disposition of the detainees currently at Guantanamo as to other instances of counterterrorism detention, elsewhere or in the future. The legislation proposed thus provides a mechanism for resolving the quandaries of Guantanamo in a principled manner, without the creation of ad hoc rules for special cases

Job Quality and Job Satisfaction Among Casino Workers: The Case of Foxwoods

This article examines the quality of casino jobs at the largest Indian casino in the United States. It uses survey responses to measure how Foxwoods\u27 employees evaluate various aspects of their jobs, and it also considers other aspects of job quality such as wages, fringe benefits, and wage inequality. The results are part of the growing literature that considers issues important to the gaming industry in the United States