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The article focuses on the proposed legislation in Minnesota that seeks to limit the rights of transgender people, despite the state's progressive reputation, and the advocacy efforts of organizations like the ACLU and GLSEN to protect transgender students' safety and identity in schools.

In this article, the author examines two sets of complex relationships at school: one between gay teachers and their students and another between the same gay teachers and their colleagues [...]

It is shown experimentally that thermal nonuniformity can reduce peak supersonic jet noise while keeping static thrust levels equivalent. A thermal nonuniformity is generated by introducing an unheated stream on the centerline of a plenum containing heated air. This axisymmetric arrangement was studied with the hypothesis that the convection and structure of plume turbulence could be changed by perturbations induced by the thermal nonuniformity. The results for ideally expanded and overexpanded jets indicate 2±0.5dB reductions in peak narrowband spectral sound pressure levels upstream of peak directivity directions for nonuniform jets compared with the baseline uniform jets, even for a modest temperature difference between the core jet and the unheated stream. The mechanisms for this reduction are examined based on wavenumber-frequency analyses using the far-field acoustic spectra, suggesting that peak spectral energies shift to higher wavenumbers when the thermal nonuniformity is introduced. Convection velocities of radiating structures calculated from the spectral peaks show a reduction of 10% for the design jet condition. These results indicate that temperature-driven velocity deficits may be useful for developing supersonic jet noise reduction strategies, while even greater reductions are thought feasible by increasing the ratio between the heated and unheated stream temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effective recruitment and retention of faculty of color continue to present major challenges to universities, in part, because the normal search process in higher education has been largely unsuccessful at diversifying faculty. Therefore, universities have implemented alternative strategies to recruit and retain scholars of color, including active interventions to recruit future faculty. Through personal narratives, two faculty of color at a large research-focused university critique the various processes that brought them to their current faculty positions. They conclude that "target" hires and postdoctoral transition programs, alongside increased mentoring and advocacy from senior faculty, may lead to increased retention of faculty of color. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the authors highlight connections between research on Two Spirit Native Americans and standard social studies curriculum. Two Spirit is a Pan-Indian term describing Native Americans who believe they embody both masculine and feminine characteristics/traits in one physical body. Findings from this research expand the field's conception of multiple perspectives and diversity, while creating opportunities for nuanced understandings of gender expression and gender that go beyond the male/female dichotomy currently accepted as the norm. The authors utilize historical research and a semistructured, in-depth interview with a current Ojibwe leader to better understand and theorize Native Americans' acceptance of diverse ways of being. The authors conclude that modern-day social studies teachers and students have much to learn from this traditional Native worldview. Specifically, the authors believe that encouraging students to adopt more inclusive perspectives on gender expression and to recognize the plausibility of multiple genders may lead to more advanced, social learning. Combined with reinforcement from responsible adults at school, this recognition would lessen a variety of present-day social ills, including the incidence of teen suicide caused by homophobia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the issue on academic freedom of teachers in the U.S. It presents the summary of the ordeals of social science teacher Deborah Mayer of Indiana who struggled in defense after exercising her academic freedom in the classroom. It notes that the country's state of academic freedom is not assured, even in elementary, middle, or high school settings. It asserts that Mayers' story suggests teachers to learn appropriate ways in presenting controversial issues. Moreover, National Education Association (NEA) General Counsel Michael Simpson recommends set of guidelines for teachers to safeguard their academic freedom in the public schools.

An introduction to the journal is presented wherein the editor discusses various articles published within the issue on topics including "spaces of becoming" as an alternative concept for readers to consider, transgender inclusion in Canadian Catholic elementary schools, and Gay-Straight Alliances in a Canadian secondary school.

Rationale: Computed tomography (CT) has been shown to reliably measure the airway wall dimensions of medium to large airways. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a promising new micron-scale resolution imaging technique that can image small airways 2 mm in diameter or less.Objectives: To correlate OCT measurements of airway dimensions with measurements assessed using CT scans and lung function.Methods: Forty-four current and former smokers received spirometry, CT scans, and OCT imaging at the time of bronchoscopy. Specific bronchial segments were identified and measured using the OCT images and three-dimensional reconstructions of the bronchial tree using CT.Measurements and Main Results: There was a strong correlation between CT and OCT measurements of lumen and wall area (r = 0.84, P < 0.001, and r = 0.89, P < 0.001, respectively). Compared with CT, OCT measurements were lower for both lumen and wall area by 31 and 66%, respectively. The correlation between FEV(1)% predicted and CT and OCT measured wall area (as percentage of the total area) of fifth-generation airways was very strong (r = -0.79, r = -0.75), but the slope of the relationship was much steeper using OCT than using CT (y = -0.33x + 82, y = -0.1x + 78), indicating greater sensitivity of OCT in detecting changes in wall measurements that relate to FEV(1).Conclusions: OCT can be used to measure airway wall dimensions. OCT may be more sensitive at detecting small airway wall changes that lead to FEV(1) changes in individuals with obstructive airway disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the classroom practice(s) of seven gay male teachers from four school districts within a large southeastern state. Through the use of semi-structured interviews, it examines two main issues they face: how and when to introduce and use gay-themed materials while teaching the curriculum and how to confront homophobic slurs heard at school. The participants also define and discuss their understanding of appropriate male performance while at school, which has implications for a broader understanding of social education. I conclude that the gay teachers in this study feel compelled by social and political forces to conform to expected norms of "masculine" male behaviors, yielding to what I label the "school effect." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objctive: To assess the long-term outcome of blunt trauma patients with suspected thoracic aortic or great vessel injury that was evaluated with contrast-enhanced chest computed tomography (CT). Methods: We studied the outcome of 278 consecutive patients who received contrastenhanced CT for blunt chest trauma with computerized searches of the regional trauma database, hospital medical records, universal government medical coverage plan billing records, and regional vital statistics databases. Data retrieved included patient demographics, mechanism of injury, status of the aorta and proximal great vessels at contrast-enhanced CT, hospital discharge diagnoses, and outpatient procedural billings with specific attention to aortic or great vessel injury. Median follow-up was 615 days following the traumatic event. Results: Six subjects demonstrated direct signs of aortic or proximal great vessel injury on contrast-enhanced chest CT, as follows: aortic pseudoaneurysm and intimal flap (n = 4), carotid artery dissection (n = 1), and aortic dissection (n = 1). All were surgically treated, except the patient with aortic dissection, who was treated medically. In the other subjects, contrast-enhanced CT was negative (n = 230) or showed isolated mediastinal hematoma (n = 42). The computerized searches of the medical databases showed that none of these 272 subjects had procedures for, or died from, aortic or great vessel injury during the follow-up period. Conclusion: Computerized searches of medical databases found no evidence of missed thoracic aortic or proximal great vessel injury in blunt trauma patients who were evaluated with contrast-enhanced chest CT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Low-dose radiation from computed tomography (CT) may increase the risk of certain cancers, especially in children. Objective: We sought to estimate the excess all-cause and cancer-specific mortality, which may be associated with repeated CT scanning of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Methods: The radiation dose was calculated for a published CF surveillance CT scanning protocol of biennial CT scans, and the risk per scan was estimated using atom-bomb survivor data. A computational model was developed to calculate the excess mortality in a CF cohort associated with radiation from the CT scan and to evaluate the effects of background survival, scanning interval, and level of CT radiation used. The model assumed that there would be no survival benefits associated with repeated surveillance CT scanning. Results: The average radiation dose for the published CT protocol was 1 mSv. Survival reduction associated with annual scans from age 2 yr until death was approximately 1 mo and 2 yr for CF cohorts, with a median survival of 26 and 50 yr, respectively. Corresponding cumulative cancer mortality was approximately 2 and 13% at age 40 and 65 yr, respectively. Biennial CT scanning reduced all-cause and cumulative cancer mortality by half. Conclusion: Routine lifelong annual CT scans carry a low risk of radiation-induced mortality in CF. However, as the overall survival increases for patients with CF, the risk of radiation-induced mortality may modestly increase. These data indicate that radiation dose must be considered in routine CT imaging strategies for patients with CF, to ensure that benefits outweigh the risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postmortem studies of patients who died in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II suggested that death from starvation was associated with pulmonary emphysema. This study re-examines this hypothesis in patients who are chronically malnourished because of anorexia nervosa. Age, smoking history, body mass index, and pulmonary function were measured in 21 subjects with anorexia nervosa and 16 control subjects. Computed tomography (CT) scans were obtained from three regions of the lung (at the level of the aortic arch, the carina, and the posterior position of the eighth rib) using a multislice scanner. The CT measurements of lung density, emphysema, and surface area-to-volume ratio were obtained using the X-ray attenuation values. CT measurements of emphysema were greater in the group that was anorexic than in historical control subjects (p < 0.001). Furthermore, there were significant correlations between the body mass index and the CT measures of emphysema for all the patients and between diffusing capacity and the CT measurements in the patients who were anorexic. A multiple linear regression analysis showed the diffusing capacity was predicted best by the percentage of lung voxels within the large emphysematous changes category. These data demonstrate that emphysema-like changes are present in the lungs of patients who are chronically malnourished. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accounts for the different dose-response characteristics of thyrotropin (TSH)/prolactin (PRL) by giving four dosages of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) to eight noncirrhotic, male alcoholics abstinent from ethanol a minimum of 28 days and to seven male control subjects. Method, results, and discussion.

This study demonstrates that women in public planning agencies have not been fully integrated into professional practice. Criteria for gaining access to higher job Positions for women and men are similar. However, men tend to have more qualifications than women, and they have higher job positions. For women, centralization of management is particularly important for obtaining higher job positions. The criteria for obtaining more income are essentially the same for women and men despite the fact that women make less income. Because women have not been fully integrated into the planning profession, they do not fulfill job criteria as well as men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planners have strived to understand the optimal ways to accomplish desired ends. Empirical analysis of planners' role performance, however, has been lacking but planners have recognized the importance of realizing their capacities and limits in their roles. Role conflict may result from ascribed, socioeconomic, organizational and professional characteristics. Race was defined as white and nonwhite, and marital status was married or unmarried. Families was formed by three variables. Centralization of management was defined by a ratio between responses for the number of managerial position and the agency's size. When technical roles are only valued, planners are commits to analysis and technical quality. For analysis, the planner can use the initiator role for identifying problems, the community knowledgeable role for knowing the facts, and the judge role for evaluating results. Planners may commit themselves to technical quality by emphasizing their roles as a technical expert and as expert on process.

This article presents information related to public policy making in sociology. Interest in public policy making by sociologists raises important discipline questions between the descriptive versus the prescriptive character of applied practice. The shift to the prescriptive emphasis has redefined sociological practice wherein goal achievement is central and requires the practitioner to relate values and practice to directed change. The practitioner's handling of the public interest is controlled by the public both formally and informally. Formally, the degree of control over the practitioner determined by law and explicit role thresholds is seen as public accountability. Incrementalism tests a good policy by testing how much consensus develops on proposed policy when examining the marginal differences of closely related alternatives. This strategy has a conservative bias. Incrementalism posits a difficult public trust problem for social practitioners. With its recognition of pluralist politics, incrementalism relates the public interest to the output of political bargaining between competing interest groups.

Presents a study in which students made four serial reproductions of each of three time intervals. Results which paralleled those of other studies using only adults; Analysis of first-degree sequential dependency of judgments which revealed a slight negative recency which was also invariant with age of Ss.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) required precise knowledge of the anatomic dimensions and physical characteristics of the aortic valve, annulus, and aortic root. Most groups currently use angiography, transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), or transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) to assess aortic annulus dimensions and anatomy. However, multislice computed tomography (MSCT) may allow more detailed 3-dimensional assessment of the aortic root. Twenty-six patients referred for TAVR underwent MSCT. Scans were also obtained for 18 patients after TAVR. All patients underwent pre- and postprocedural aortic root angiography, TTE, and TEE. Mean differences in measured aortic annular diameters were 1.1 mm (95% confidence interval 0.5, 1.8) for calibrated angiography and TTE, -0.9 mm (95% confidence interval -1.7, -0.1 mm) for TTE and TEE, -0.3 mm (95% confidence interval -1.1, 0.6 mm) for MSCT (sagittal) and TTE, and -1.2 mm (95% confidence interval -2.2, -0.2 mm) for MSCT (sagittal) and TEE. Coronal systolic measurements using MSCT, which corresponded to angiographic orientation, were 3.2 mm (1st and 3rd quartiles 2.6, 3.9) larger than sagittal systolic measurements, which were in the same anatomic plane as standard TTE and TEE views. There was no significant association between either shape of the aortic annulus or amount of aortic valve calcium and development of perivalvular aortic regurgitation. After TAVR, the prosthesis extended to or beyond the inferior border of the left main ostium in 9 of 18 patients (50%), and in 11 patients (61%), valvular calcium was <5 mm from the left main ostium. In conclusion, MSCT identified that the aortic annulus was commonly eccentric and often oval. This may in part explain the small, but clinically insignificant, differences in measured aortic annular diameters with other imaging modalities. MSCT after TAVR showed close proximity of both the prosthesis and displaced valvular calcium to the left main ostium in most patients. Neither eccentricity nor calcific deposits appeared to contribute significantly to severity of paravalvular regurgitation after TAVR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To estimate the diagnostic reference levels and effective radiation dose to patients from routine computed tomography (CT) examinations in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Methods: The patient weight, height and computed tomography dose index or dose linear product (DLP) were recorded on study sheets for 1070 patients who were referred for clinically indicated routine CT examinations at 18 radiology departments in British Columbia. Sixteen of the scanners were multidetector row scanners. Results: The average patient dose varied from hospital to hospital. The largest range was found for CT of the abdomen, for which the dose varied from 3.6 to 26.5 (average 10.1) mSv. For head CT, the range was 1.7 to 4.9 (average 2.8) mSv; for chest CT, it was 3.8 to 26 (average 9.3) mSv; for pelvis CT, it was 3.5 to 15.5 (average 9.0) mSv; and for abdomen-pelvis CT, it was 7.3 to 31.5 (average 16.3) mSv. Reference dose values were calculated for each exam. These DLP values are as follows: head, 1300 mGy cm; chest, 600 mGy cm; abdomen, 920 mGy cm; pelvis, 650 mGy cm; and abdomen-pelvis, 1100 mGy cm. Conclusion: Among hospitals, there was considerable variation in the DLP and patient radiation dose for a specific exam. Reference doses and patient doses were higher than those found in similar recent surveys carried out in the United Kingdom and the European Union. Patient doses were similar to those found in a recent survey in Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]