Humanitarian Aid Logistics: Response Strategies in the 2015 Refugee Crisis

Humanitarian aid logistics is an emerging field that applies principles of supply chain management and logistics to the humanitarian relief sector. This thesis explores humanitarian aid logistics strategies in the context of the 2015 Refugee Crisis. An unprecedented number of refugees sought asylum in Europe beginning in 2015, where European officials and humanitarian organizations were largely unprepared to provide for them. The 2015 Refugee Crisis offers a unique perspective on humanitarian aid logistics because it requires both short-term and long-term response strategies. Through the framework of management science, a subfield of supply chain management, and logistics, this thesis creates a model that addresses the lack of adequate shelter sites and capacity for refugees in Greece. This is still a relevant problem today as a number of refugees still reside there, and the model adjusts for fluctuating capacity and conditions of the shelters. Long-term issues are discussed as the effects of the Crisis continue. Through analysis of short-term and long-term relief strategies, this thesis provides a foundational understanding of humanitarian aid logistics in crises that involve a complex network of stakeholders and unpredictable timelines. It is also useful for discussions about future implications of humanitarian aid logistics and other crises occurring in other parts of the world

High Time for Change: The Legalization of Marijuana and Its Impact on Warrantless Roadside Motor Vehicle Searches

The proliferation of marijuana legalization has changed the relationship between driving and marijuana use. While impaired driving remains illegal, marijuana use that does not result in impairment is not a bar to operating a motor vehicle. Scientists have yet to find a reliable way for law enforcement officers to make this distinction. In the marijuana impairment context, there is not a scientifically proven equivalent to the Blood Alcohol Content standard nor are there reliable roadside assessments. This scientific and technological void has problematic consequences for marijuana users that get behind the wheel and find themselves suspected of impaired driving. Without a marijuana breathalyzer or reliable Field Sobriety Tests, law enforcement officers are forced to find another way to determine impairment. Searching the vehicle for evidence of recent marijuana use can be an attractive option. However, the Fourth Amendment prohibits “search first, find probable cause later” policing. A roadside vehicle search violates a driver’s Fourth Amendment rights if sufficient evidence of impairment is lacking. Until law enforcement can reliably determine marijuana impairment at the roadside, drivers need protection from these unconstitutional searches. This Note addresses how states can disincentivize potential Fourth Amendment violations. To provide context for this discussion, this Note begins by outlining the history of marijuana’s legal status and summarizing the relevant Fourth Amendment case law. Next, it contrasts the challenges of determining marijuana impairment with the relative ease of testing for alcohol impairment during motor vehicle stops. This Note then presents case studies of three states that each have a distinct legal approach to determining marijuana impairment amongst drivers. Finally, this Note provides prescriptive recommendations for states that have legalized or plan to legalize marijuana. Ultimately, this Note provides the reader with a primer on an important legal issue: how the inability to reliably establish marijuana impairment during a traffic stop creates an incentive for the police to search the vehicle first and find probable cause later

A core outcomes set for clinical trials of interventions for young adults with type 1 diabetes: an international, multi-perspective Delphi consensus study

BACKGROUND: Achieving consensus from a range of relevant stakeholders about an agreed set of core outcomes to be measured and reported as a minimum in clinical trials has the potential to enhance evidence synthesis and make findings more relevant and applicable. Intervention research to improve outcomes for young adults with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) is hampered by inconsistent use of outcome measures. This population frequently struggles to manage their condition and reports suboptimal clinical outcomes. Our aim was to conduct an international, e-Delphi consensus study to identify a core outcome set (COS) that key stakeholders (young adults with T1DM, diabetes health professionals, diabetes researchers and diabetes policy makers) consider as essential outcomes for future intervention research. METHODS: Using a list of 87 outcomes generated from a published systematic review, we administered two online surveys to a sample of international key stakeholders. Participants in the first survey (survey 1; n = 132) and the second survey (survey 2; n = 81) rated the importance of the outcomes. Survey 2 participants received information on total mean rating for each outcome and a reminder of their personal outcome ratings from Survey 1. Survey 2 results were discussed at a consensus meeting and participants (n = 12: three young adults with T1DM, four diabetes health professionals, four diabetes researchers and one diabetes policy maker) voted on outcomes. Final core outcomes were included provided that 70% of consensus group participants voted for their inclusion. RESULTS: Eight core outcomes were agreed for inclusion in the final COS: measures of diabetes-related stress; diabetes-related quality of life; number of severe hypoglycaemic events; self-management behaviour; number of instances of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA); objectively measured glycated haemoglobin (HbA1C); level of clinic engagement; and perceived level of control over diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to identify a COS for inclusion in future intervention trials to improve outcomes for young adults with T1DM. Use of this COS will improve the quality of future research and increase opportunities for evidence synthesis. Future research is necessary to identify the most robust outcome measure instruments

Improved reference genome for the domestic horse increases assembly contiguity and composition

Recent advances in genomic sequencing technology and computational assembly methods have allowed scientists to improve reference genome assemblies in terms of contiguity and composition. EquCab2, a reference genome for the domestic horse, was released in 2007. Although of equal or better quality compared to other first-generation Sanger assemblies, it had many of the shortcomings common to them. In 2014, the equine genomics research community began a project to improve the reference sequence for the horse, building upon the solid foundation of EquCab2 and incorporating new short-read data, long-read data, and proximity ligation data. Here, we present EquCab3. The count of non-N bases in the incorporated chromosomes is improved from 2.33 Gb in EquCab2 to 2.41 Gb in EquCab3. Contiguity has also been improved nearly 40-fold with a contig N50 of 4.5 Mb and scaffold contiguity enhanced to where all but one of the 32 chromosomes is comprised of a single scaffold

How to: Navigate a Leadership Change, a Checklist for Nonprofit Boards

Assistant director of the Maine Association of Nonprofits Molly O\u27Connell offers six issues nonprofit boards should consider when faced with a change in leadership

Improved reference genome for the domestic horse increases assembly contiguity and composition

Recent advances in genomic sequencing technology and computational assembly methods have allowed scientists to improve reference genome assemblies in terms of contiguity and composition. EquCab2, a reference genome for the domestic horse, was released in 2007. Although of equal or better quality compared to other first-generation Sanger assemblies, it had many of the shortcomings common to them. In 2014, the equine genomics research community began a project to improve the reference sequence for the horse, building upon the solid foundation of EquCab2 and incorporating new short-read data, long-read data, and proximity ligation data. Here, we present EquCab3. The count of non-N bases in the incorporated chromosomes is improved from 2.33 Gb in EquCab2 to 2.41 Gb in EquCab3. Contiguity has also been improved nearly 40-fold with a contig N50 of 4.5 Mb and scaffold contiguity enhanced to where all but one of the 32 chromosomes is comprised of a single scaffold