The Empowerment of Hate

CAIR provides legal and advocacy services to people who have been targeted by bias.The organization employs 35 staff attorneys and has a presence in 22 states. These attorneys are tasked to assist every client in obtaining a just and fair resolution to their case, free of charge.While CAIR's focus is to win justice for each client, processing these cases provides the organization with a wealth of data. During the 2014-2016 period, CAIR staff processed a total of 11,427 incidents of potential bias.This report assembles this data to offer a larger and more comprehensive reflection of the civil rights implications of Islamophobic bias in the United States.CAIR is committed to protecting the civil rights of all Americans, regardless of faith. We do so with gratitude for the protections already established through the long, and often ugly, struggles of other targeted communities. As we work to help our clients, our broader goal is to set legal precedent, pass laws, and shape a social environment in which every American enjoys the basic right to be free from unequal treatment

What is a pilot or feasibility study? A review of current practice and editorial policy

Background: In 2004, a review of pilot studies published in seven major medical journals during 2000-01 recommended that the statistical analysis of such studies should be either mainly descriptive or focus on sample size estimation, while results from hypothesis testing must be interpreted with caution. We revisited these journals to see whether the subsequent recommendations have changed the practice of reporting pilot studies. We also conducted a survey to identify the methodological components in registered research studies which are described as 'pilot' or 'feasibility' studies. We extended this survey to grant-awarding bodies and editors of medical journals to discover their policies regarding the function and reporting of pilot studies. Methods: Papers from 2007-08 in seven medical journals were screened to retrieve published pilot studies. Reports of registered and completed studies on the UK Clinical Research Network (UKCRN) Portfolio database were retrieved and scrutinized. Guidance on the conduct and reporting of pilot studies was retrieved from the websites of three grant giving bodies and seven journal editors were canvassed. Results: 54 pilot or feasibility studies published in 2007-8 were found, of which 26 (48%) were pilot studies of interventions and the remainder feasibility studies. The majority incorporated hypothesis-testing (81%), a control arm (69%) and a randomization procedure (62%). Most (81%) pointed towards the need for further research. Only 8 out of 90 pilot studies identified by the earlier review led to subsequent main studies. Twelve studies which were interventional pilot/feasibility studies and which included testing of some component of the research process were identified through the UKCRN Portfolio database. There was no clear distinction in use of the terms 'pilot' and 'feasibility'. Five journal editors replied to our entreaty. In general they were loathe to publish studies described as 'pilot'. Conclusion: Pilot studies are still poorly reported, with inappropriate emphasis on hypothesis-testing. Authors should be aware of the different requirements of pilot studies, feasibility studies and main studies and report them appropriately. Authors should be explicit as to the purpose of a pilot study. The definitions of feasibility and pilot studies vary and we make proposals here to clarify terminology

Feedback control of optical beam spatial profiles using thermal lensing

A method for active control of the spatial profile of a laser beam using adaptive thermal lensing is described. A segmented electrical heater was used to generate thermal gradients across a transmissive optical element, resulting in a controllable thermal lens. The segmented heater also allows the generation of cylindrical lenses, and provides the capability to steer the beam in both horizontal and vertical planes. Using this device as an actuator, a feedback control loop was developed to stabilize the beam size and position.Comment: 7 Pages, 7 figure

Preliminary report--near total laryngectomy for SCC larynx

A retrospective analysis was performed on patients subjected to near-total laryngectomy at Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi from September 2006 and May 2010, to evaluate the functional outcome of Near Total Laryngectomy and its effect on disease control. In all of these advanced stage laryngeal-hypopharyngeal squamous cancer patients, the disease was limited to one side of the larynx-hypopharynx. Four patients were staged as T3 and rest were T4; near total laryngectomy was done in all 07 patients. Post operative adjuvant radiotherapy was given to 06 patients. All of these patients are on regular oral diet and maintaining their body weight. Six patients are using their preserved hemi larynx effectively. Mean follow up of these patients was 15 months. Three patients developed regional recurrence whereas the remaining four patients were well till their last follow-up. Near total laryngectomy is a safe surgical option even for advanced laryngeal-hypopharyngeal cancer without compromising oncological clearance. It gives patients their own physiological voice that does not require maintenance but at the expense of permanent tracheostomy

Hierarchical Use of Cues in the Missing Object Recognition Task by Rats (Rattus norvegicus)

This study investigated rats’ preferences for using non-spatial and spatial cues in a missing-object recognition task. Rats were trained to find a sunflower seed under any one of four previously missing adjacent objects, the test array of a trial, after having found seeds under three of them in the ‘study’ array of that trial. On some trials the study and test arrays consisted of a different object at each baited food site and on other trials, of identical objects. A previously missing object\u27s position and orientation within its array and its global position within the large foraging chamber varied over trials but not within trials. Following training, rats received interspersed non- or partially rewarded probe trials with transformed test arrays of dissociated non-spatial (object-specific) and spatial cues on test array feeders. Results from these probe trials revealed that rats preferred to search for a missing object based first on its specific non-spatial features before searching for it based on its local spatial features; that is, its local position followed by its orientation, and finally based on its global position. This hierarchical sequence for using spatial cues was preserved under the identical-objects cueing condition. Rats reversed their preferences between object-specific and local position cues, however, when novel objects replaced the same four different objects in a supplementary experiment. We discussed the implications of these findings in terms of the influence of ecological- and context-dependent factors on information use or retrieval from animals’ visuo-spatial working memory

Perceptions of healthcare professionals and managers regarding the effectiveness of GP-led walk-in centres in the UK.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify the perceptions of healthcare professionals regarding the effectiveness and the impact of a new general practitioner-led (GP-led) walk-in centre in the UK. SETTING: This qualitative study was conducted in a large city in the North of England. In the past few years, there has been particular concern about an increase in the use of emergency department (ED) services provided by the National Health Service and part of the rationale for introducing the new GP-led walk-in centres has been to stem this increase. The five institutes included in the study were EDs, a minor injuries unit, a primary care trust, a GP-led walk-in centre and GP surgeries. PARTICIPANTS: Semistructured interviews were conducted with healthcare providers at an adult ED, an ED at a children's hospital, a minor injuries unit, a GP-led walk-in centre, GPs from surrounding surgeries and GPs. RESULTS: 11 healthcare professionals and managers were interviewed. Seven key themes were identified within the data: the clinical model of the GP-led walk-in centre; public awareness of the services; appropriate use of the centre; the impact of the centre on other services; demand for healthcare services; choice and confusion and mixed views (positive and negative) of the walk-in services. There were discrepancies between the managers and healthcare professionals regarding the usefulness of the GP-led walk-in centre in the current urgent care system. CONCLUSIONS: Participants did not notice declines in the demand for EDs after the GP-led walk-in centre. Most of the healthcare professionals believed that the GP-led walk-in centre duplicated existing healthcare services. There is a need to have a better communication system between the GP-led walk-in centres and other healthcare providers to have an integrated system of urgent care delivery

Interventions for improving research productivity in clinical radiology

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of research promotion activities on overall quality and quantity of research output in a clinical department of a teaching tertiary care hospital. Simple research enhancing strategies including regular journal club, research hour, basic research skills training, hiring of research faculty, research awards, and annual research retreat and research board to increase research production were implemented in the Department of Radiology of a teaching hospital in Pakistan. A total of 77 papers were produced by the Department of Radiology before the intervention, which increased to 92 after the introduction of research initiatives. There was a significant increase in the overall proportion of publications in the international journals after the intervention (p \u3c 0.001) with an increasing trend towards indexed journals (p \u3c 0.001). The research enhancing interventions had a positive effect on increasing clinical research output by the Department of Radiology. Such interventions can also be replicated in other clinical departments to increase their research productivity

Acute childhood ischemic stroke: a pakistani tertiary care hospital experience

Stroke in pediatric population is increasingly recognized and has diverse clinical presentation and risk factor profile. Majority of patients survive acute stroke but remain disabled. The reported literature on the subject from our part of world is scarce.Methods:A retrospective chart review was carried out for stroke patients between 1 month and 14 years of age, admitted between January 2009 and January 2015. Their demographic, clinical and radiological data was collected and analyzed.Results:Twenty nine patients were admitted with stroke over 5 years. Their mean age was 5.7 ±11.7 and male to female ratio was 3:1. The most common clinical features reported were seizures (72%), paresis (62%), and altered mental status (52%) followed by fever (38%), cranial nerve palsies (34%) and vomiting (35%). Cardiovascular diseases (28%) were the most common identifiable etiologic factors. Only 59% had unilateral strokes. Fifty five percent had anterior circulation strokes, 14% had posterior circulation strokes while 31% had involvement of both vascular territories. Only 31% had single vessel strokes. Twenty-eight percent of the patient died during the hospital stay (mean stay was 7±5 days). 62% of the infants compared to 18% of older kids (p=0.01), 62% of patients with both vascular territories compared 15% in single territory (p=0.03) and 58% of patients with bilateral strokes compared to 6% in unilateral strokes (p=0.03) died.Conclusions: Cardiovascular diseases are most common etiologic factors of stroke in pediatric age group and it carries high acute mortality. Bilateral and multiple territorial strokes, and age less than one year were associated with acute mortality

A rare case of simple hereditary recessive optic atrophy

Simple Autosomal Recessive Optic Atrophy (AROA) is a rare hereditary disorder that belongs to a group of disorders called Hereditary Optic Atrophy. Patients diagnosed with simple AROA have complete blindness since birth or from first few months of life. This blindness does not improve with age. However, no other organ or system is affected in this disorder. There is no known cause or gene mutation associated with it. Here we report a case of a two year old child diagnosed with simple AROA. Family history of the patient revealed that an older deceased relative also suffered from similar symptoms. Identification of this and similar cases of the simple AROA can help us better understand this disorder and hopefully one day help us develop a treatment for it