Long-Range Analogizing After \u3ci\u3eBruen\u3c/i\u3e: How to Resolve the Circuit Split on the Federal Felon-in-Possession Ban

In 2023, over the course of one week, two U.S. courts of appeals ruled on Second Amendment challenges to 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), the federal statute prohibiting firearm possession for those convicted of felonies. Both courts applied the U.S. Supreme Court’s “history and tradition” test from New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n v. Bruen. In the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, criminal defendant Edell Jackson did not succeed. There, the court found that the nation’s history and tradition supported the validity of a law banning firearm possession by felons, regardless of the details of their felony or propensity for violence. In the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Bryan Range, who was convicted of welfare fraud in 1995, brought a civil suit seeking injunctive relief so that he could again lawfully possess firearms. The Third Circuit ruled for Range and held that the nation’s history and tradition did not support disarming someone like Range. The circuit thus held that Range’s entire disarmament under § 922(g)(1), including at the time of his 1995 conviction, was unconstitutional. This Note proposes that the U.S. Supreme Court resolve this split on § 922(g)(1) by ruling that history and tradition support § 922(g)(1)’s categorical disarmament of felons. In particular, this Note argues that the Eighth Circuit more accurately applied step two of Bruen, which asks whether a challenged firearm law is sufficiently analogous to, and thus supported by, firearm laws from earlier periods in American history. This is particularly noteworthy as both courts considered and decided their cases with the same historical examples of disarmament in mind. Next, this Note argues that § 922(g)(1)’s validity under Bruen supports closing off Second Amendment challenges to § 922(g)(1) in criminal proceedings, but that courts can permit such challenges to seek prospective, declaratory relief in civil proceedings. This Note concludes by arguing that structuring the relief in this way appropriately permits rearmament only for those who can demonstrate their law-abiding, responsible status

Objective Assessment of Outdoor Physical Activity in College Students and Relationships to Psychological Well-Being

Introduction: Physical activity is known to improve many aspects of health including physical and psychological well-being. Additional psychological health benefits have been attributed to performing physical activity outdoors. Despite this potential benefit, objectively measured outdoor physical activity has rarely been studied in an adult population. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to objectively define and measure bouts of outdoor physical activity and investigate correlations between this activity and subjectively reported psychological stress and anxiety. Methods: Objective outdoor physical activity will be measured using accelerometry and optic sensor capabilities of ActiGraph GT3X devices. Bouts of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity will be determined using validated ranges of activity counts4 and lux values from the optic sensors will determine environment. Outdoor physical activity bouts will be defined as periods of moderate-tovigorous physical activity of at least 10 minutes with average lux values of at least 2405. Participants will complete baseline questionnaires of trait anxiety and perceived stress followed by a 10 consecutive day wear time of the ActiGraph GT3X devices. Results: Data collection and processing are currently underway. Measures of outdoor physical activity will be summarized and presented along with correlations between this activity and measures of trait anxiety and perceived stress. Conclusions: This will be the first study to objectively measure and define outdoor physical activity bouts in adults using simple accelerometers with optics capabilities. This definition and methodology can be used to investigate further associations between outdoor physical activity and measures of psychological health as well as a tool to objectively validate outdoor physical activity to be studied as an assigned intervention

The zero forcing polynomial of a graph

Zero forcing is an iterative graph coloring process, where given a set of initially colored vertices, a colored vertex with a single uncolored neighbor causes that neighbor to become colored. A zero forcing set is a set of initially colored vertices which causes the entire graph to eventually become colored. In this paper, we study the counting problem associated with zero forcing. We introduce the zero forcing polynomial of a graph $G$ of order $n$ as the polynomial $\mathcal{Z}(G;x)=\sum_{i=1}^n z(G;i) x^i$, where $z(G;i)$ is the number of zero forcing sets of $G$ of size $i$. We characterize the extremal coefficients of $\mathcal{Z}(G;x)$, derive closed form expressions for the zero forcing polynomials of several families of graphs, and explore various structural properties of $\mathcal{Z}(G;x)$, including multiplicativity, unimodality, and uniqueness.Comment: 23 page

Development of a Mobile Modular Robotic System, R2TM3, for Enhanced Mobility in Unstructured Environments

Limited mobility of mobile ground robots in highly unstructured environments is a problem that inhibits the use of such robots in applications with irregular terrain. Furthermore, applications with hazardous environments are good candidates for the use of robotics to reduce the risk of harm to people. Urban search and rescue (USAR) is an application where the environment is irregular, highly unstructured and hazardous to rescuers and survivors. Consequently, it is of interest to effectively use ground robots in applications such as USAR, by employing mobility enhancement techniques, which stem from the robot’s mechanical design. In this case, a robot may go over an obstacle rather than around it. In this thesis the Reconfigurable Robot Team of Mobile Modules with Manipulators (R2TM3) is proposed as a solution to limited mobility in unstructured terrains, specifically aimed at USAR. In this work the conceptualization, mechatronic development, controls, implementation and testing of the system are given. The R2TM3 employs a mobile modular system in which each module is highly functional: self mobile and capable of manipulation with a five degree of freedom (5-DOF) serial manipulator. The manipulator configuration, the docking system and cooperative strategy between the manipulators and track drives enable a system that can perform severe obstacle climbing and also remain highly manoeuvrable. By utilizing modularity, the system may emulate that of a larger robot when the modules are docking to climb obstacles, but may also get into smaller confined spaces by using single robot modules. The use of the 5-DOF manipulator as the docking device allows for module docking that can cope with severe misalignments and offsets – a critical first step in cooperative obstacle management in rough terrain. The system’s concept rationale is outlined, which has been formulated based on a literature review of mobility enhanced systems. Based on the concept, the realization of a low cost prototype is described in detail. Single robot and cooperative robot control methods are given and implemented. Finally, a variety of experiments are conducted with the concept prototype which shows that the intended performance of the concept has been met: mobility enhancement and manoeuvrability

Autonomous Satellite Rendezvous and Proximity Operations with Time-Constrained Sub-Optimal Model Predictive Control

This paper presents a time-constrained model predictive control strategy for the 6 degree-of-freedom (6DOF) autonomous rendezvous and docking problem between a controllable "deputy" spacecraft and an uncontrollable "chief" spacecraft. The control strategy accounts for computational time constraints due to limited onboard processing speed. The translational dynamics model is derived from the Clohessy-Wiltshire equations and the angular dynamics are modeled on gas jet actuation about the deputy's center of mass. Simulation results are shown to achieve the docking configuration under computational time constraints by limiting the number of allowed algorithm iterations when computing each input. Specifically, we show that upwards of 90% of computations can be eliminated from a model predictive control implementation without significantly harming control performance

Copper Deficiency Myeloneuropathy: An Atypical Presentation of Guillain-Barré Syndrome

Copper (Cu) deficiency myeloneuropathy due to acquired Cu deficiency is both rare and debilitating. More women than men are affected, involving patients aged 32-80 years. Cu itself is a key component of the nervous system, involved in electron transport, oxidative phosphorylation, antioxidant defense, catecholamine synthesis, and iron homeostasis. Afflicted patients usually present with anemia and leukopenia, along with subacute gait disorder with prominent sensory ataxia/spasticity, impaired vibration/position sense, and a positive Romberg sign. Etiologies of Cu deficiency include gastric surgery, zinc overconsumption, dietary deficiency, Celiac disease, Wilson\u27s disease, cystic fibrosis, and IBS. We present the case of a 63 y.o. woman with past medical history of limited stage small cell lung cancer in complete remission for 6 months, COPD, hypertension, supraventricular tachycardia status post ablation who presented with a 2-month history of shortness of breath and weakness, numbness and paresthesias of bilateral upper/lower extremities. Patient reported increasing difficulty grasping objects, increasing gait impairment, and 6-8 falls during this period. Initial workup at outside hospital (OSH) included normal findings on MRI Brain, C-spine, T-spine and L-spine. A normal cell count and protein lumbar puncture (LP) ruled out Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). CSF cytology was negative for malignant cells. Paraneoplastic labs including acetylcholine receptor antibody and voltage-gated calcium channel antibody were negative. Given the unknown etiology of the patient’s condition and her hypercoagulable state, Neurology at OSH deemed IVIG inappropriate. After transfer to our hospital, she displayed dysmetria and dysdiadochokinesia, diminished strength bilaterally, and fatigue. EMG showed diffuse primarily demyelinating \u3e axonal polyradiculoneuropathy of the arms and legs concerning for peripheral demyelinating disease. Negative inspiratory force (NIF) was 60 and functional vital capacity (FVC) was 1350, thus mechanical ventilation was not indicated. She underwent plasmapheresis on 08/12/19 with concerns of GBS variant. IVIG was not considered with prior history of cancer. Repeat EMG on 08/23/19 showed worsening of the patient’s neuropathy with greater axon loss and motor unit dropout in proximal lower extremity muscles, with demyelinating features largely unchanged. Neurology recommended vitamin deficiency labs, including vitamins B1, B3, B6, B12, and E, folate, zinc, Cu and heavy metals. Patient had a Cu level of 473, and Neurology recommended lifelong elemental Cu supplements, 6 month pyridoxine supplementation, and avoidance of zinc supplementation, citing 6 weeks’ recovery time. Patient was discharged to a rehabilitation facility where her strength and sensation improved. She followed up with Neurology outpatient for care. We present an atypical case of GBS caused by Cu deficiency. While GBS was high on our differential in this case, it is believed to be autoimmune in origin. Therefore, negative work up for autoimmune disease should prompt investigation into vitamin or mineral deficiencies in a chronically debilitated patient as a potential root cause for neurologic dysfunction. While Cu deficiency is uncommon and requires years to manifest, it is important to consider in patients with ascending motor paralysis, gait issues, and sensory loss. Cu supplementation generally prevents further neurologic deterioration, but improvement of neurologic symptoms is variable and limited to sensory faculties. Most patients experience residual deficits, but hematologic parameters often respond well to therapy and respond completely.https://scholarlycommons.henryford.com/merf2020caserpt/1078/thumbnail.jp

MODISTools - downloading and processing MODIS remotely sensed data in R

Remotely sensed data – available at medium to high resolution across global spatial and temporal scales – are a valuable resource for ecologists. In particular, products from NASA's MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), providing twice-daily global coverage, have been widely used for ecological applications. We present MODISTools, an R package designed to improve the accessing, downloading, and processing of remotely sensed MODIS data. MODISTools automates the process of data downloading and processing from any number of locations, time periods, and MODIS products. This automation reduces the risk of human error, and the researcher effort required compared to manual per-location downloads. The package will be particularly useful for ecological studies that include multiple sites, such as meta-analyses, observation networks, and globally distributed experiments. We give examples of the simple, reproducible workflow that MODISTools provides and of the checks that are carried out in the process. The end product is in a format that is amenable to statistical modeling. We analyzed the relationship between species richness across multiple higher taxa observed at 526 sites in temperate forests and vegetation indices, measures of aboveground net primary productivity. We downloaded MODIS derived vegetation index time series for each location where the species richness had been sampled, and summarized the data into three measures: maximum time-series value, temporal mean, and temporal variability. On average, species richness covaried positively with our vegetation index measures. Different higher taxa show different positive relationships with vegetation indices. Models had high R2 values, suggesting higher taxon identity and a gradient of vegetation index together explain most of the variation in species richness in our data. MODISTools can be used on Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms, and is available from CRAN and GitHub (https://github.com/seantuck12/MODISTools)

Caregiver responses to early cleft palate care: A mixed method approach.

This study sought to understand caregivers’ (CGs’) responses to early cleft lip/palate care for their infants

Distributed Nonlinear Filtering using Triangular Transport Maps

The distributed filtering problem sequentially estimates a global state variable using observations from a network of local sensors with different measurement models. In this work, we introduce a novel methodology for distributed nonlinear filtering by combining techniques from transportation of measures, dimensionality reduction, and consensus algorithms. We illustrate our methodology on a satellite pose estimation problem from a network of direct and indirect observers. The numerical results serve as a proof of concept, offering new venues for theoretical and applied research in the domain of distributed filtering.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure