Technologies of Suspicion and the Ethics of Obligation in Political Asylum

Across the globe, migration has been met with intensifying modes of criminalization and securitization, and claims for political asylum are increasingly met with suspicion. Asylum seekers have become the focus of global debates surrounding humanitarian obligations, on the one hand, and concerns surrounding national security and border control, on the other. In Technologies of Suspicion and the Ethics of Obligation in Political Asylum, contributors provide fine-tuned analyses of political asylum systems and the adjudication of asylum claims across a range of sociocultural and geopolitical contexts. The contributors to this timely volume, drawing on a variety of theoretical perspectives, offer critical insights into the processes by which tensions between humanitarianism and security are negotiated at the local level, often with negative consequences for asylum seekers. By investigating how a politics of suspicion within asylum systems is enacted in everyday practices and interactions, the authors illustrate how asylum seekers are often produced as suspicious subjects by the very systems to which they appeal for protection. Contributors: Ilil Benjamin, Carol Bohmer, Nadia El-Shaarawi, Bridget M. Haas, John Beard Haviland, Marco Jacquemet, Benjamin N. Lawrance, Rachel Lewis, Sara McKinnon, Amy Shuman, Charles Wattershttps://ohioopen.library.ohio.edu/oupress/1015/thumbnail.jp

Profssional Concerns

Professional Concerns is a regular column devoted to the interchange of ideas among those interested in reading instruction. Send your comments and contributions to the editor. If you have questions about reading that you wish to have answered, the editor will find respondents to answer them. Address correspondence to R. Baird Shuman, Department of English, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, 61801

The weight-inclusive vs. weight-normative approach to health: Evaluating the evidence for prioritizing well-being over weight

Using an ethical lens, this review evaluates two methods of working within patient care and public health: the weight-normative approach (emphasis on weight and weight loss when defining health and well-being) and the weight-inclusive approach (emphasis on viewing health and well-being as multifaceted while directing efforts toward improving health access and reducing weight stigma). Data reveal that the weight-normative approach is not effective for most people because of high rates of weight regain and cycling from weight loss interventions, which are linked to adverse health and well-being. Its predominant focus on weight may also foster stigma in health care and society, and data show that weight stigma is also linked to adverse health and well-being. In contrast, data support a weight-inclusive approach, which is included in models such as Health at Every Size for improving physical (e.g., blood pressure), behavioral (e.g., binge eating), and psychological (e.g., depression) indices, as well as acceptability of public health messages. Therefore, the weight-inclusive approach upholds nonmaleficience and beneficience, whereas the weight-normative approach does not. We offer a theoretical framework that organizes the research included in this review and discuss how it can guide research efforts and help health professionals intervene with their patients and community

Parallel analysis of ribonucleotide-dependent deletions produced by yeast Top1 in vitro and in vivo

Ribonucleotides are the most abundant non-canonical component of yeast genomic DNA and their persistence is associated with a distinctive mutation signature characterized by deletion of a single repeat unit from a short tandem repeat. These deletion events are dependent on DNA topoisomerase I (Top1) and are initiated by Top1 incision at the relevant ribonucleotide 3′-phosphodiester. A requirement for the re-ligation activity of Top1 led us to propose a sequential cleavage model for Top1-dependent mutagenesis at ribonucleotides. Here, we test key features of this model via parallel in vitro and in vivo analyses. We find that the distance between two Top1 cleavage sites determines the deletion size and that this distance is inversely related to the deletion frequency. Following the creation of a gap by two Top1 cleavage events, the tandem repeat provides complementarity that promotes realignment to a nick and subsequent Top1-mediated ligation. Complementarity downstream of the gap promotes deletion formation more effectively than does complementarity upstream of the gap, consistent with constraints to realignment of the strand to which Top1 is covalently bound. Our data fortify sequential Top1 cleavage as the mechanism for ribonucleotide-dependent deletions and provide new insight into the component steps of this process

Nucleotide analogs and molecular modeling studies reveal key interactions involved in substrate recognition by the yeast RNA triphosphatase

RNA triphosphatases (RTPases) are involved in the addition of the distinctive cap structure found at the 5′ ends of eukaryotic mRNAs. Fungi, protozoa and some DNA viruses possess an RTPase that belongs to the triphosphate tunnel metalloenzyme family of enzymes that can also hydrolyze nucleoside triphosphates. Previous crystallization studies revealed that the phosphohydrolase catalytic core is located in a hydrophilic tunnel composed of antiparallel β-strands. However, all past efforts to obtain structural information on the interaction between RTPases and their substrates were unsuccessful. In the present study, we used computational molecular docking to model the binding of a nucleotide substrate into the yeast RTPase active site. In order to confirm the docking model and to gain additional insights into the molecular determinants involved in substrate recognition, we also evaluated both the phosphohydrolysis and the inhibitory potential of an important number of nucleotide analogs. Our study highlights the importance of specific amino acids for the binding of the sugar, base and triphosphate moieties of the nucleotide substrate, and reveals both the structural flexibility and complexity of the active site. These data illustrate the functional features required for the interaction of an RTPase with a ligand and pave the way to the use of nucleotide analogs as potential inhibitors of RTPases of pathogenic importance

Oral Health Literacy Inventories for Caregivers of Preschool-Aged Children: A Systematic Review

Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review was to describe the oral health literacy (OHL) inventories that have been used among caregivers of preschool-aged children. Methods: Four databases were searched (CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Dentistry & Oral Sciences Source, PubMed), to identify peer-reviewed, full-text studies published in English on the oral health literacy among caregivers of preschool-aged children from 2010-2021. All studies were assessed for eligibility using PRISMA guidelines. Inclusion criteria were experimental, non-experimental, or mixed methods peer-reviewed studies, conducted in the United States. Eligible studies were independently evaluated using the Effective Public Health Practice Project\u27s Quality Assessment Tool. Results: The initial search yielded 182 articles; 11 studies met the inclusion criteria after screening: observational (n=8), experimental (n=2), and quasi-experimental (n=1). Main outcome measures included: oral health literacy, oral health knowledge, oral health attitudes and behaviors, child oral health status (COHS), child oral health-related quality of life (C-OHRQoL), and child oral health-related expenditures. However, this review focused only on caregivers\u27 OHL and the associated measurements for this variable. Most studies utilized the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Dentistry (REALD-30); the remainder used the Basic Research Factors Questionnaire (BRFQ), the Oral Health Literacy Inventory for Parents (OH-LIP), or self-designed survey questions. Conclusions: Few studies met the inclusion criteria. There was an uneven distribution of studies using different inventories for the measurement of oral health literacy limiting the generalizability of the findings to low-income and minority groups. Most caregiver OHL studies focused on dental word recognition, only a few measured knowledge and comprehension. More comprehensive inventories could be designed to evaluate caregivers\u27 knowledge and understanding of dental terms

Oral Health Education and Promotion Activities by Early Head Start Programs in the United States: A Systematic Review

Purpose: Dental caries is a non-communicable, preventable disease that disproportionately affects low-income children in the United States (US). The purpose of this systematic review was to describe oral health education and promotion activities designed to prevent early childhood caries (ECC) provided by Early Head Start (EHS) programs in the United States. Methods: Five databases were searched including CINAHL, Dentistry & Oral Sciences Source through EBSCO, PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Wiley Online Library, to identify peer-reviewed quantitative studies published in English on oral health education and promotion activities within EHS programs from 2000 to 2019. Studies were assessed for eligibility using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses flow diagram (PRISMA). Two researchers independently evaluated the included studies. Results: The initial search yielded a total of 363 articles. Following the screening process, five studies met the inclusion criteria (observational, n=2; quasi-experimental, n=3). The main outcome measures included oral health knowledge, attitudes and behaviors, oral health education, oral health promotion, and oral health activities. Three studies investigated the effectiveness of oral health education and promotion interventions among EHS staff and parents. Two studies examined oral health activities such as education, toothbrushing instructions, toothpaste use, dietary education, and dental assessment. Conclusion: Studies that focused on increasing pediatric oral health knowledge and practice behaviors among both EHS staff members and parents reflected positive outcomes. Ongoing research is needed to examine the effectiveness of oral health education and promotion activities as they relate to the oral health outcomes of children enrolled in EHS programs

Quantitative electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) analyses of lead zirconate titanate

Electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) analyses have been performed on a sol–gel deposited lead zirconate titanate film, showing that EELS can be used for heavy as well as light element analysis. The elemental distributions within the sol–gel layers are profiled using the Pb N<sub>6,7</sub>-edges, Zr M-edges, Ti L-edges and O K-edge. A multiple linear least squares fitting procedure was used to extract the Zr signal which overlaps with the Pb signal. Excellent qualitative information has been obtained on the distribution of the four elements. The non-uniform and complementary distributions of Ti and Zr within each sol–gel deposited layer are observed. The metal:oxygen elemental ratios are quantified using experimental standards of PbTiO<sub>3</sub>, PbZrO<sub>3</sub>, ZrO<sub>2</sub> and TiO<sub>2</sub> to provide relevant cross-section ratios. The quantitative results obtained for Ti/O and Pb/O are very good but the Zr/O results are less accurate. Methods of further improving the results are discussed

Caregivers\u27 Comprehension of the Terms Decay and Cavities: A Qualitative Analysis

Purpose: Tooth decay and cavities are the most common oral health consequences for young children that may result from inadequate oral health literacy (OHL) or understanding of their caregivers. The purpose of this study was to describe the understanding of terms related to decay and cavities among caregivers of preschool-aged children. Methods: English-speaking caregivers with children aged(OH-LIP). Responses were recorded, transcribed, coded, and assigned to domains and categories. Results: Responses from 111 participants were included in the analysis. About one fifth of the participants (19.8%, n=22) indicated that they did not know what decay was or provided an incorrect response. The majority (71.2%, n=79) made the association that decay was something bad that happens to the teeth. However only a minority of the participants (9%, n=10) correctly identified decay as destruction of the tooth surface because of bacterial action. When asked to define the word cavities, more than half (68.5%) indicated that cavities were something harmful to teeth, while only about one quarter (27%, n=30) correctly identified cavities as resulting from the decay process. Conclusion: Knowledge disparities related to the terms decay and cavities among caregivers suggest that more education is needed regarding the tooth decay process and factors causing dental caries to ensure timely preventive services are received. Gaps in oral health literacy should be addressed by health care professionals. Dental hygienists are in an ideal position to educate caregivers as well as non-dental health care professionals who provide services to caregivers and children

Reactions of C+ + Cl-, Br-, and I--A comparison of theory and experiment.

Rate constants for the reactions of C+ + Cl-, Br-, and I- were measured at 300 K using the variable electron and neutral density electron attachment mass spectrometry technique in a flowing afterglow Langmuir probe apparatus. Upper bounds of <10-8 cm3 s-1 were found for the reaction of C+ with Br- and I-, and a rate constant of 4.2 ± 1.1 × 10-9 cm3 s-1 was measured for the reaction with Cl-. The C+ + Cl- mutual neutralization reaction was studied theoretically from first principles, and a rate constant of 3.9 × 10-10 cm3 s-1, an order of magnitude smaller than experiment, was obtained with spin-orbit interactions included using a semiempirical model. The discrepancy between the measured and calculated rate constants could be explained by the fact that in the experiment, the total loss of C+ ions was measured, while the theoretical treatment did not include the associative ionization channel. The charge transfer was found to take place at small internuclear distances, and the spin-orbit interaction was found to have a minor effect on the rate constant