An Imperfect Solution: The Due Process Case for Providing Court-Appointed Interpreters for Pro Se Plaintiffs

A federal law, the Court Interpreters Act, provides litigants with complimentary access to a qualified or professionally certified interpreter in actions instituted by the United States. The majority of pro se civil litigation in federal courts is initiated by the United States, and thus, those pro se litigants who speak little-to-no English need not pay for access to an exceptional interpreter. Indeed, federal courts offer interpreters proficient in a multitude of languages, and the courts work hard to ensure adequate interpretation in proceedings brought by the United States. However, those limited-English-proficient pro se plaintiffs initiating their own lawsuits face a steep climb to vindicate their private rights against nongovernmental defendants. Beyond the inherent challenges associated with filing and proceeding absent legal counsel, these litigants further proceed absent the language skills necessary to understand the meaning and effect of a court’s hearings. The Court Interpreters Act effectively ignores this class of litigants. While federal district judges have the power to appoint interpreters for civil litigants on a discretionary basis, district judges do not always exercise this power. Anything short of a mandate to provide interpretation services to the small group of non-English-speaking pro se plaintiffs overlooked by the Court Interpreters Act risks continued denial of their right of meaningful access to the courts. In this Comment, I argue that under both common sense and the procedural due process Mathews factors, language access is a material component of a litigant’s right to be heard. Our judicial system works hard to accommodate pro se litigants while also denying those pro se litigants who lack adequate English skills access to an interpreter. To remedy this flagrant unfairness, I propose that the Administrative Office of the United States Court should amend its Policy Guidance so that pro se plaintiffs pleading a colorable cause of action receive interpretation services as needed

An adaptive membership management algorithm for application layer multicast

Due to deployment difficulty of network layer multicast, application layer multicast is considered to be a good substitute for massive P2P video/audio streaming in large networks. However, in application layer multicast, the participating users join and leave the on-going session at will. Therefore, a scalable and reliable group membership management algorithm is necessary due to the highly dynamic nature of the overlay network, built on top of the Internet. Gossip-based algorithms seem to be a solution. However, most gossip-based membership management algorithms lack flexibility, and are unable to adapt to the everchanging network dynamics, imposing roughly the same amount of overhead on the network. A new adaptive gossip-based membership management algorithm is proposed to bridge the gap. This algorithm captures the changes of the network and adjusts the parameter settings dynamically, bringing adaptivity and reducing overhead. Simulation results indicate a maximum of 50% reduction can be achieved in terms of network overhead on core network components, such as backbone links and attached routers, without sacrificing reliability and scalabilit

Pharmacological Approaches to Diabetic Gastroparesis: A systematic review of randomised clinical trials

Pharmacological interventions of diabetic gastroparesis (DG) constitute an essential element of a patient’s management. This article aimed to systematically review the available pharmacological approaches of DG, including their efficacy and safety. A total of 24 randomised clinical trials (RCTs) that investigated the efficacy and/or safety of medications targeting DG symptoms were identified using several online databases. Their results revealed that metoclopramide was the only approved drug for accelerating gastric emptying and improving disease symptoms. However, this medication may have several adverse effects on the cardiovascular and nervous systems, which might be resolved with a new intranasal preparation. Acceptable alternatives are oral domperidone for patients without cardiovascular risk factors or intravenous erythromycin for hospitalised patients. Preliminary data indicated that relamorelin and prucalopride are novel candidates that have proven to be effective and safe. Future RCTs should be conducted based on unified guidelines using universal diagnostic modalities to reveal reliable and comprehensive outcomes.Keywords: Gastroparesis; Diabetes Mellitus; Diabetes Complications; Randomized Controlled Trial; Metoclopramide; Domperidone; Relamorelin

Design and simulation of a tunable MEMS filter for wireless biomedical signal transceivers

This paper presents a new architecture for a high quality tunable MEMS filter that can be used in wireless biomedical signal transceivers. It consists of a &pi; match circuit with two shunt capacitive coupling switches separated by a piece of high impedance short transmission line, and also a series switch placed at the quarter wavelength distance away from the &pi; match circuit. The low actuation voltage and also tunability are important features of the design objective. All portions of the filter can be realized simultaneously. Thus, the filter docs not require any extra steps during its fabrication, and is not costly. The simulation results confirm the good performance of the filter.<br /

Determining RF MEMS switch parameter by neural networks

A challenge in designing a RF MEMS switch is the determination of its parameters to satisfy the application requirements. Often this is done through a set of comprehensive time consuming simulations. This paper employs neural networks and develops a supervised learner that is capable of determining S11 parameter for a RF MEMS shunt switch. The inputs are the length its L and the height of its gap. The outputs are S11s for eight different frequency points from 0 to V band. The developed learner helps prevent repetitive simulations when designing the specified switch. Simulation results are presented.<br /

Efficacy and Safety of Probiotics, Prebiotics and Synbiotics in the Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Treatments that target alterations in gut microbiota may be beneficial for patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted of randomised clinical trials (RCTs) evaluating the efficacy and safety of probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics. Factors considered in the analysis included global IBS symptoms and/or abdominal pain, secondary symptoms and the frequency of adverse events. A total of 33 RCTs involving 4,321 patients were identified. Overall, probiotics significantly improved global IBS symptoms compared to placebos (standardised mean difference = −0.32, 95% confidence interval: −0.48 to −0.15; P &lt;0.001), with significant heterogeneity between studies (I2 = 72%; P &lt;0.001). This remained apparent in both single- and multi-strain probiotic interventions as well as synbiotic formulations. However, evidence regarding prebiotics was scarce. There were no significant inter-group differences in terms of the frequency of adverse events. Future RCTs should address methodological limitations, including short follow-up periods and patient adherence.Keywords: Irritable Bowel Syndrome; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Dietary Supplements; Probiotics; Prebiotics; Synbiotics; Meta-Analysis; Systematic Review

Design and structural dynamic characteristics of an irregular staircase under earthquake loading

Reinforced concrete staircases are structurally designed as cantilevered, slab type or beam-slab type. Within this study an irregular cantilevered staircase is studied and its structural dynamic characteristics are explored. An eigen-value modal analysis is performed to determine the mode shapes, their corresponding modal participation factors and natural periods of vibration. The highest modes of interest are identified. Following on that, a scaled record of a previous historical earthquake was applied within a direct integration time-history analysis in order to assess the performance of that irregular stair case under earthquake loading. That load was applied within two perpendicular load cases representing the different possible directions of earthquake vibrations in which the effect of the structure irregularity was assessed per direction. The structure was found to have large drifts creating a need to change the structural system

Pemberian Jenis Pakan yang Berbeda terhadap Pertumbuhan dan Kelangsungan Hidup Benih Ikan Kakap Putih (Lates Calcalifer, Bloch)

Penelitian ini dilaksanakan padatanggal 1 Juni – 1 Juli 2014 di Tambak Daerah Cot Kafiraton Kecamatan Seunuddon, Kabupaten Aceh Utara. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode ekperimental dengan menggunakan rancangan acak lengkap (RAL) Non Faktorial dengan lima perlakukan dan tiga kali ulangan yaitu perlakuan A: pemberian pakan jenis udang dogol perlakuan B: pemberian pakan jenis benih ikan nila; perlakuan C: pemberian pakan jenis keong mas ; perlakuan D: pemberian pakan pellet komersial. Parameter uji dalam penelitian ini adalah tingkat kelangsungan hidup, pertumbuhan, kecepatan konsumsi pakan dan kualitas air. Data hasil penelitian dianalisis secara deskriptif serta diuji dengan beda nyata terkecil (BNT). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pemberian pakan alami yang berbeda memberi pengaruh yang sangat berbeda nyata terhadap pertumbuhan dan konsumsi pakan pada ikan kakap putih dimana Fhitung >Ftable yaitu pada perlakuan A. Akan tetapi tidak memberi pengaruh yang sangat berbeda nyata terhadap kelangsungan hidup ikan kakap putih. Nilai kualitas air selama penelitian yaitu baik dimana berada pada kisaran yang layak untuk kehidupan ikan kakap putih dengan pH 7,9-8,5, suhu berkisar 25-290C dan salinitas 23-26 ppt.The research was conducted on June 1 to July 1 2014 in Pond at Cot Kafiraton Seunuddon district, North Aceh. The experiment treatments was used on this study using a completely randomized design (CRD) non factorial with five treatments and three replicated which were A: feed types of dogol shrimp, B: feed type of tilapia seed, treatment C: feed type of snails, treatment D: feed type commercial pellets. Parameters of this study was the survival rate, growth, feed consumption rate and water quality. Data were analyzed descriptively and tested by the least significant difference (LSD). The results was showed that different types of feed had very effect significantly different on the growth and feed intake of sea bass (Fcal>Ftab). However, different fedd types did not give significantly different influence on the survival rate of sea bass. Water quality parameters were in suitable condition for sea bass habitats. The value of pH was 7,9-8,5, temperature 25-29 0C and salinity 23-26 ppt

Identifikasi Kawasan Penangkapan Induk Udang Windu (Penaeus Monodon) pada Perairan Pesisir Kabupaten Aceh Jaya

Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk menetapkan kawasan penangkapan induk udang windu (Penaeus monodon) dan kondisi lingkungan perairannya ditinjau dari aspek fisika kimia perairan pada kawasan perairan kabupaten Aceh Jaya. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan survey dan teknologi system informasi geografis. Kawasan penangkapan induk udang di Kabupaten Aceh Jaya pada umumnya terdapat pada titik ordinat: (1) H 950 34\u27 bujur timur dan 040 38\u27 lintang utara, (2) H 950 33\u27 bujur timur dan 040 39\u27 lintang utara, (3) H 950 34\u27 bujur timur dan 040 40\u27 lintang utara, (4) H 950 34\u27 bujur timur dan 040 33\u27 lintang utara. Parameter fisika kimia perairan yang diukur pada kawasan penangkapan induk udang menunjukkan kondisi yang sangat sesuai bagi sistem kehidupan udang.The aims of this study was to establish the broodstock catchment areas of tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon) and the condition of the waters which was surrounding their habitat in terms of environmental aspects of physical chemical water parameter in the coastal waters of Aceh Jaya region. This study used survey approach and geographic information system technology as methodelogy. The catching areas of broodstock in Aceh Jaya region commonly found on the ordinate point: (1) H 950 34\u27 east longitude and 040 38\u27 north, (2) H 950 33\u27 east and 040 39\u27 north, (3) H 950 34\u27 east and 040 40\u27 north, (4) H 950 34\u27 east and 040 33\u27 north. Physical and chemical parameters of water measured at catchment areas showed that the water parameters in the prawn habitat were very suitable for supporting of tiger prawn living

Performance improvement of fractional N-PLL synthesizers for digital communication applications

Loop filter with two order was designed to improve the performance of the fractional N-phase locked loop (PLL) circuit (reference spurs noise and switching time), decreasing these two factors give good characteristic to fractional N-PLL circuit, the second order and third order loop filters are widely used in frequency synthesizer because they give good stability tolerance and for their simple architecture. They are designed at bandwidth B=125 KHz and its multipoles, at two values of the phase margin (pm)= 35°, 57°. MATLAB program was used to find the lock time, the component values for each element in the loop filter, also the filter impedance T(s), the bode plot of frequency response for close loop (CL) and open loop gain (OL). It is found by comparing the result of the frequency response for the 2nd order loop filter and 3rd order loop filter, that increasing the order of the filter will reduce the spurs noise that destroy the received signal at receiving side