Art and Medicine: A Collaborative Project Between Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar and Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar

Four faculty researchers, two from Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, and two from Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar developed a one semester workshop-based course in Qatar exploring the connections between art and medicine in a contemporary context. Students (6 art / 6 medicine) were enrolled in the course. The course included presentations by clinicians, medical engineers, artists, computing engineers, an art historian, a graphic designer, a painter, and other experts from the fields of art, design, and medicine. To measure the student experience of interdisciplinarity, the faculty researchers employed a mixed methods approach involving psychometric tests and observational ethnography. Data instruments included pre- and post-course semi-structured audio interviews, pre-test / post-test psychometric instruments (Budner Scale and Torrance Tests of Creativity), observational field notes, self-reflective blogging, and videography. This book describes the course and the experience of the students. It also contains images of the interdisciplinary work they created for a culminating class exhibition. Finally, the book provides insight on how different fields in a Middle Eastern context can share critical /analytical thinking tools to refine their own professional practices

The Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976: Its Origin, Meaning and Effect

Following replacement of Dr. Francois Papa Doc Duvalier by his son, Jean-Claude Little Doc Duvalier, as President of the Republic of Haiti in 1971, the previously strained relations between Haiti and the United States eased somewhat. Although the United States did not wish to resume direct arms sales to Haiti, it did encourage private armament sales by American firms. Thereafter, Aerotrade, Inc., a Florida corporation, entered into a procurement contract with Haiti agreeing to sell it an assortment of military equipment. Later a dispute arose between the parties over the contract\u27s terms. After negotiations failed, Aerotrade filed suit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York to enforce its contract rights by attaching funds of the Banque Nationale de la Republique d\u27Haiti, as alter ego of the Republic of Haiti, on deposit with First National City Bank. Aerotrade claimed damages for lost profits on orders that Haiti failed to place and $867,000 for goods sold and delivered to Haiti for which payment was never received

Nonlinear microscopy for material characterization

Making use of femtosecond laser sources, nonlinear microscopy exhibits inherent 3- dimensional optical sectioning and provides access to previously unstudied aspects of materials. By probing third order nonlinear optical signals determined by the nonlinear susceptibility (chi-3), which is present in all materials, we gain insight not available by conventional linear or electron microscopy. Third-harmonic generation (THG) and four-wave mixing (FWM) microscopy are used to investigate fundamental material parameters. THG microscopy is applied to supplement damage studies of optical coatings by imaging laser induced material modification both above and below damage threshold conditions in HfO2 thin-films. FWM microscopy is employed to investigate FWM signals and implied finite response times in multiple substrates

Analyzing Claims of Sovereignty in International Economic Disputes

The extraterritorial application of national laws has become a battle ground over the last forty years for both private parties and states, who are either seeking to enforce their laws or to protect their nationals and their own interests. The conflicts have been most intense over the application of economic regulation to international business conduct where the situs and the effects of the conduct may be quite difficult to locate within the borders of any single state. Often, the United States has sought to enforce its laws when conduct abroad by foreign nationals adversely affected its interests. The intention of this paper is to develop an objective framework within which to analyze the opposing claims of states embroiled in international economic disputes, wherever they arise. This paper presents a framework which departs from the traditional analysis of extraterritorial jurisdiction. Instead, it focuses on the assertion of sovereignty claims as the more fruitful avenue of inquiry. The paper proposes a set of criteria to assess: 1) the validity of claims that the extraterritorial application of national law constitutes an infringement of sovereignty; and 2) the propriety of states using such claims as a basis of intervention to protect their nationals

Canola : a promising oilseed (1991)

New 8/91/5M

Canola : a promising oilseed (1993)

Canola is a promising alternative crop for Missouri because it is relatively easy to produce, requires no new investment of equipment, and offers competitive profits. Canola offers farmers an opportunity to help control soil erosion, produce a high-quality winter oilseed crop, and diversify cropping operations. Missouri grain producers today rely upon a few traditional crops such as corn, grain sorghum, soybeans and wheat. Canola and other alternative crops can help reduce the income risk associated with market fluctuations or weather/pest production losses affecting these primary crops

Tobacco smoking and all-cause mortality in a large Australian cohort study: findings from a mature epidemic with current low smoking prevalence

This study finds that up to two-thirds of deaths in current smokers  in Australia can be attributed to smoking. Abstract Background The smoking epidemic in Australia is characterised by historic levels of prolonged smoking, heavy smoking, very high levels of long-term cessation, and low current smoking prevalence, with 13% of adults reporting that they smoked daily in 2013. Large-scale quantitative evidence on the relationship of tobacco smoking to mortality in Australia is not available despite the potential to provide independent international evidence about the contemporary risks of smoking. Methods This is a prospective study of 204,953 individuals aged ≥45 years sampled from the general population of New South Wales, Australia, who joined the 45 and Up Study from 2006–2009, with linked questionnaire, hospitalisation, and mortality data to mid-2012 and with no history of cancer (other than melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer), heart disease, stroke, or thrombosis. Hazard ratios (described here as relative risks, RRs) for all-cause mortality among current and past smokers compared to never-smokers were estimated, adjusting for age, education, income, region of residence, alcohol, and body mass index. Results Overall, 5,593 deaths accrued during follow-up (874,120 person-years; mean: 4.26 years); 7.7% of participants were current smokers and 34.1% past smokers at baseline. Compared to never-smokers, the adjusted RR (95% CI) of mortality was 2.96 (2.69–3.25) in current smokers and was similar in men (2.82 (2.49–3.19)) and women (3.08 (2.63–3.60)) and according to birth cohort. Mortality RRs increased with increasing smoking intensity, with around two- and four-fold increases in mortality in current smokers of ≤14 (mean 10/day) and ≥25 cigarettes/day, respectively, compared to never-smokers. Among past smokers, mortality diminished gradually with increasing time since cessation and did not differ significantly from never-smokers in those quitting prior to age 45. Current smokers are estimated to die an average of 10 years earlier than non-smokers. Conclusions In Australia, up to two-thirds of deaths in current smokers can be attributed to smoking. Cessation reduces mortality compared with continuing to smoke, with cessation earlier in life resulting in greater reductions