Author Archives: Danzig

New data shines light on student achievement progress and gaps in California and US – EdSource

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Alison Yin/EdSource

Researchers looked at combined, averaged reading and math scores from more than 57 million students.

Researchers looked at combined, averaged reading and math scores from more than 57 million students.

New education data released today by researchers at Stanford University shows a complex, nuanced and in some places, troubling picture of student achievement and racial gaps based on standardized test scores across California and the nation.

In California, average math and reading test scores rose for all student groups except Black students over the past decade, while gaps in test scores among most student groups remained steady or narrowed. The exception was the gap between Black and white students, which widened.

Approximately 55% of Californias 6.1 million public school students are Latino, 22% are white, 9.3% are Asian and 5.3% are Black. The data was compiled by Stanfords Educational Opportunity Project, headed by Sean Reardon, a professor at Stanfords Graduate School of Education. The project has updated its database with millions of new test scores, demographic information and other data from 57 million students nationwide.

The researchers combined reading and math test results on standardized tests students took in the third through eighth grade in math and English language arts. In California, as in some other states, each spring students take the Smarter Balanced assessments aligned with the Common Core standards.

But because statesuse different tests with different scales and set their proficiency thresholds at different levels, researchers used scores on theNational Assessment of Educational Progress, which a sample of students take in every state, in order to essentially put student scores on the same scale, allowing comparisons to be made among districts and states.

Combined with previously collected data, the project now has more than 10 years worth of information showing long-term trends among student groups, schools, districts, counties and states.

Reardon emphasized the importance of examining trends in individual districts. There is an enormous amount of variation among districts in the rate at which test scores are changing, even though there is very little change nationally over the 10-year period, he said. Scores are increasing the most in districts with, among other factors, students from high-level or increasingly high-level socioeconomic backgrounds, increasing charter school enrollments, increasing per-pupil expenditures and a high or increasing proportion of experienced teachers.

A similar picture applies to academic achievement gaps, referring to the difference in test scores among different student groups. The gap has narrowed most in districts with some of the same factors associated with increasing test scores, including less socioeconomic inequality among students, more spending per pupil by the district and fewer disparities in access to experienced teachers.

To provide a more detailed picture of student achievement, researchers broke the data into three categories: test scores; learning rates, which show students improvement from year to year; and long-term trends. Information is available about achievement by racial and ethnic groups and gender, as well as those who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, and those who do not.

The data, developed through complicated statistical techniques, is presented through a color-coded, interactive map as well as charts that can be customized based on various categories. Its main purpose is to provide information on how every school district in the nation is doing.

The kind of data that education systems usually use is so fragmented and compartmentalized and siloed its hard to know how similar or different one place is from other places, Reardon said. We hope that this provides a context for those similarities and differences.

Reardon described the information on every district in the U.S. as a data backbone that can help parents, policymakers, school board members, researchers and others gain a more complete picture of the education landscape.

Compared to other states, California ranks around the middle in most categories. Its ahead of most other states in improvements in test scores among white and Latino students, but is lagging in thescores of Black students.

Referring to Latino students, he said, certainly its positive theyre making as much progress over time. But he pointed out that while the academic achievement gap between Latino and white students isnt getting any bigger, the gap is not getting smaller either.

Los Angeles Unified showed a steady increase in Latino students test scores over the past decade, mirroring improvements among white and Asian students. Black students test scoreslagged, however. Similarly, San Francisco Unified saw gainsin test scoresamong white, Asian and Latino students, but a decline among Black students.

The researchers looked at the 41 largest school districts in the U.S., and the Black-white academic achievement gap. In 14 districts the gap was narrowing. Thats not the case in the three California districts on the list of largest districts. The researchers project that at current rates (as measured through 2018) the Black-white academic achievement gap in San Diego Unified would double by 2026. In Long Beach Unified it would double by 2031, and in Los Angeles Unified it would take much longer, until 2094.

Although statewide, low-income students did not perform as well as their higher-income peers, there were some exceptions. In some districts, such as General Shafter Elementary in Bakersfield and Chualar Union School District in the Salinas Valley, low-income students actually a showed greater rate of improvement than their higher-income classmates.

One story is how scores are increasing for all students except Black students, but the other story is how much variation there is across districts, Reardon said. Some districts have shown improvements, and we can learn something from those places.

Later this spring, researchers plan to add to the database with test scores from 2018-19, and with test scores from Native American students.

Louis Freedberg contributed to this report.

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New data shines light on student achievement progress and gaps in California and US - EdSource

Setbacks And Progress Of 2 Minnesota Boys Dealing With Rare COVID-Related Syndrome, MIS-C – CBS Minnesota

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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) Two Minnesota boys are being monitored closely months after their diagnosis with a rare complication from COVID-19.

Since the pandemics onset, 66 kids in the state have been treated for Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome.

WCCO shares the setbacks and progress, as two families face a medical mystery.

We first met the Asches in November, a week into their 13-year-olds hospital stay.

Its not like they get out of the hospital and theyre better or get right back to life as normal for sure, Dana Asche said Monday.

Hudsons kidneys and liver were failing and his heart had to be shocked back into rhythm twice.

Three months later, he tires easily and still cant play the sports he once loved.

I have to pace myself more than anybody else. You have to be aware of what youre doing at all times, Hudson Asche said.

Hudsons battle with MIS-C began after a COVID exposure in October. Like many kids, he never developed any symptoms. Doctors believe MIS-C can set in weeks after an asymptotic case.

I just didnt think of it being as bad as it got when I got it. I didnt think something that bad could ever happen, Hudson Asche said.

RELATED: It Was Just So Blurry: Glencoe Boy, 9, Recovers From COVID-Associated Inflammatory Syndrome

A flare-up of MIS-C sent Jaxson Hoffman back to Childrens Minnesota for a second time. Doctors determined the 9-year-old needed to be on steroids longer after he again had a high fever and bloodshot eyes.

Once things start to get bad they really get bad quickly, Megan Hoffman said.

Jaxson also struggles with his stamina. Cardiologists believe it could be a year before hes back to sports or PE at school.

Many MIS-C families have connected through social media as they navigate a path forward.

Its scary but our stories are so similar, Megan Hoffman said.

They hope other parents will watch for signs in their own kids and take precautions.

You never think its going to be your child or your family, Megan Hoffman added.

I look at him and think we almost lost him. If we can do any little thing so somebody else doesnt have to go through that its just so important, Dana Asche said.

While no deaths from MIS-C have been reported in Minnesota, the Centers for Disease Control says 30 kids across the country have died from the complication.

Signs to watch for include a fever that wont go away, trouble breathing, stomach issues, bloodshot eyes, red and cracked lips, a swollen tongue or hands and feet.

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Setbacks And Progress Of 2 Minnesota Boys Dealing With Rare COVID-Related Syndrome, MIS-C - CBS Minnesota

The winter COVID surge has reversed progress on economic inequality – Axios

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Inequality in the U.S. continues to grow as the economy undergoes a compositional change in the labor market.

Driving the news: While higher wage earners have largely recouped their losses from the coronavirus pandemic's shutdowns earlier this year, those at the bottom of the income spectrum remain out of work at high levels and are losing more ground.

Why it matters: Wealth and income inequality, which have been shown to cause major political and economic disruptions for countries, had been at a record high in the U.S. before the pandemic.

What happened: The winter surge of COVID-19 stopped and then reversed the progress in returning to work that had been made by the lowest-income workers, the New York Fed points out in a research paper released Tuesday.

Why it happened: "Due to a combination of government restrictions and behavioral changes people made to avoid exposure to the virus, the largest losses during the pandemic accrued to the leisure and hospitality industrymost notably, restaurants, bars, and hotelsas well as retail, both of which tend to employ large numbers of lower-paid workers," researchers wrote.

The big picture: According to data from the Social Security Administration, 45% of all U.S. workers in 2019 were included in the category of the lowest-income workers, earning less than $30,000 a year.

Between the lines: The pandemic caused "outsized job losses for women, minorities, and younger workers as the pandemic took hold," research shows, and the response of policymakers only exacerbated the divide.

Watch this space: A similar phenomenon is happening for businesses.

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The winter COVID surge has reversed progress on economic inequality - Axios

Here’s What’s Wrong With Ayn Rand’s Philosophy – The …

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Many articles have been written about whats wrong with Ayn Rands philosophy. But, to my knowledge, none of them presents her ideas accurately. So I thought it would be helpful to write one that does.

Heres whats wrong with Rands ideas:

Rand held that existence exists, that reality is real, that there is a world out there, and that we are conscious of it. She held that everything in existence is something specific; everything has a nature; a thing is what it is. (A snake is a snake. A woman is a woman. A pillar of salt is a pillar of salt.) She held that a thing can act only in accordance with its nature. (A snake can slither; it cannot speak. A woman can speak; she cant become a pillar of salt.) And Rand held that there is only one reality: the one we perceive, the one we experience, the one in which we live.1

Where to start with all of the problems in just that one paragraph?

To begin with, the idea that existence exists excludes the idea that existence doesnt exist. It denies the subjectivist, pragmatist, postmodernist view that reality is an illusion, a mental construct, a social convention. Obviously, people who insist that reality is not real are not going to buy in to a philosophy that says it is real.

So thats one huge problem with Rands philosophy.

Now consider her view that only one reality exists. This excludes the notion that a second reality exists; it excludes the idea of a supernatural realm, the realm of God. Likewise, her view that everything has a specific nature, that a thing is what it is, excludes the possibility that some things are not what they are. For instance, it excludes the possibility that a dead person can be alive (life after death), the possibility that wine can be blood or that bread can be flesh (transubstantiation), and the possibility that the Earth came into existence hundreds of thousands of years after the first Homo sapiens roamed it. Similarly, the idea that things can act only in accordance with their nature excludes the possibility of miraclesso: no Immaculate Conception, no virgin birth (of Jesus), no living inside a whale for three days, no walking on water, no faith healing, and so on.

Needless to say, people who insist on the existence of God, life after death, creationism, and miracles will not buy in to a philosophy that leaves no room for such things.

The problems with Rands philosophy are mounting rapidlyand weve just begun.

Another major problem is Rands view that man acquires knowledge by means of reason, the faculty that identifies and integrates the material provided by his senses. According to Rand, insofar as a person observes reality via his senses; integrates his observations into concepts, generalizations, and principles; checks his thinking for contradictions; and checks his conclusions for consistency with his ever-expanding network of observation-based integrationshe can acquire knowledge. Indeed, according to Rand human beings have acquired massive amounts of knowledge, which is why science has advanced so far and man has accomplished so much.2

Well, that view will not go over well with skeptics, pragmatists, and postmodernists who argue that man cannot acquire knowledgeat least not knowledge of reality. Because mans sensory apparatuses process all incoming data before it reaches consciousness, these skeptics argue, man is conscious not of an external reality or a world out there, but rather of internal modifications or distortions.

No human being has ever experienced an objective world, or even a world at all, writes Sam Harris. The sights and sounds and pulsings that you experience are consequences of processed datadata that has been structured, edited, or amplified by the nervous system. Thus, The world that you see and hear is nothing more than a modification of your consciousness.3

This fashionable view is rooted in the ideas of Immanuel Kant, who wrote: What objects may be in themselves, and apart from all this receptivity of our sensibility [i.e., perception], remains completely unknown to us. Once we understand this, Kant says, we realise that not only are the drops of rain mere appearances, but that even their round shape, nay even the space in which they fall, are nothing in themselves, but merely modifications within consciousness. In principle, Kant says, the actual objectthe object as it really isremains unknown to us.4

Indeed, says Kant, it is an error even to regard external objects as things-in-themselves, which exist independently of us and of our sensibility, and which are therefore outside us. The truth, he says, is that external objects are mere appearances or species of [internal] representations, and the things we perceive are something only through these representations. Apart from them they are nothing.5

When philosophers or intellectuals claim that we cannot know reality because our sensory apparatuses distort the data before it reaches consciousness, they may sound profound or impressive (at least to each other). But, then, along comes Ayn Rand, who points out that such claims amount to the view that man is blind, because he has eyesdeaf, because he has earsdeluded, because he has a mindand the things he perceives do not exist, because he perceives them.6

As you might imagine, such straightforward clarifications, which abound in Rands works, can make skeptics feel as ignorant as they claim to be. So thats another problem with Rands philosophy.

Further, Rand holds that reason is mans only means of gaining knowledge.7 This excludes the possibility that revelation, faith, feelings, or extrasensory perception (ESP) is a means of knowledge. On her view, to embrace ideas not supported by evidence is to err. Thus Rand sees all forms of mysticismall claims to a non-sensory, non-rational means of knowledgeas baseless, arbitrary, illegitimate.

That, of course, will not fly with religionists, subjectivists, psychics, or others who claim to acquire knowledge through non-sensory, non-rational means.

And then there are the myriad problems posed by Rands conception of free will.

Rand holds that people do indeed possess free willand that it resides in a fundamental choice: to think or not to think, to focus ones mind or not to do so, to go by facts or to go by feelings.8 The problems with this idea manifest on several levels.

For starters, if people have free will, then not only are their choices their responsibility, so too are the consequences of their choices. If a person characteristically chooses to think, and if his thinking guides him to build a business and make a lot of money, then the business and the money are his achievements. Likewise, if a person characteristically chooses not to think, and if his non-thinking renders him poor and miserable, then his poverty and misery are his fault.

Well, egalitarians, socialists, communists, and the like are not going to accept that for a minute. People who want to organize society in a way that ignores or denies personal responsibility will not accept a philosophy that upholds the very principle that gives rise to and necessitates personal responsibility.

Nor will Rands conception of free will jibe with Jews, Christians, or Muslims who take their religion seriously. If people truly choose to think or not to think, then the notion of an omnipotent, omniscient God goes out the window. Think about it: If people are free to think or not to think, then whatever powers an alleged God is said to possess, he cant know in advance which alternative people are going to choose. If God existed and knew in advance how people were going to choose, then their choices would be preordainedthus they wouldnt be genuine choices. Likewise, if people are free to think or not to think, then God cant make them choose to think. Nor can he make them choose not to think. You see the problem.

In short, Rands view of free will leaves no room for the existence of an all-knowing, all-powerful God. This will not sit well with anyone who insists that such a God exists.

And thats still just the tip of Rands free-will iceberg. Her view of volition leads to a whole host of additional problems. Consider a few more.

If people choose to think or not to think, then they choose all of their actions that are governed by that fundamental choice as well. For instance, on Rands view, a person can choose to be honest or dishonest. He can refuse to pretend that facts are other than they areor he can choose to engage in such pretense.9 Importantly, Rands views on honesty and dishonesty are not merely about telling the truth versus lying. Rand holds that if a person knows something to be true but pretends that he doesnt know it, then even if he doesnt lie about iteven if he maintains the pretense only in his own mindhe is being dishonest. For instance, on Rands view, if a person knows that a friend has acted unjustly but pretends that he doesnt know it, hes being dishonest. And if a person knows that he owes someone an apology but doesnt extend it, hes being dishonest. In such cases, although the person has not lied, he nevertheless is pretending that facts are other than they are.

Well, people who choose occasionally to pretend that they dont know what they do knowand who want to continue in this fashionwill not embrace a philosophy that says they are able to stop deluding themselves and morally corrupt if they dont. (Of course, they might pretend to embrace it, but thats another matter.)

Likewise, on Rands view, a person can choose to think for himself, or he can turn to others and expect them to think for him. In other words, he can engage in independent thinking or in what Rand termed second-handedness.10 (An example of independent thinking would be someone reading a philosophers works and deciding for himself whether they make sense. An example of second-handedness would be someone turning to others to see what they say he should think about the philosophers ideas.) Rands insistence that people should face reality and think for themselves as a matter of unwavering principle is a problembecause many people are afraid to think for themselves. Many people prefer to avoid that effort, to shirk that responsibility, and to passively accept the ideas of their group, their leader, their tribe. Such people will not embrace a philosophy that upholds independent thinking as a fundamental virtue.

This brings us to the mother lode of problems with Ayn Rands philosophyand to the point of the whole thing.

Rands aforementioned principles calling for people to uphold reason, to be honest, and to think for themselves are part and parcel of the moral code she called rational egoism or rational self-interest. This moral code holds that the objective standard of moral value is mans lifeby which Rand means the requirements of human life given the kind of being that humans are. On her view, because humans are rational beingsbeings whose basic means of survival is the use of reasonthat which sustains and furthers the life of a rational being is good (or moral), and that which harms or destroys the life of a rational being is bad (or evil).11

Further, because Rand sees human beings as individualseach with his own body, his own mind, his own lifeshe holds that each individuals own life is properly his own ultimate value. She holds that each individual should choose and pursue his own life-serving values, and that he should never surrender a greater value for the sake of a lesser valuehe should never commit a sacrifice. As she puts it:

Manevery manis an end in himself, not the means to the ends of others. He must exist for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself. The pursuit of his own rational self-interest and of his own happiness is the highest moral purpose of his life.12

Well, such a moral code clearly will not fly with people who want to maintain the traditional notion that people have a moral duty to sacrifice themselves or their values for the sake of others (i.e., altruism). Nor will it fly with people who feel that they have a moral right to sacrifice other people as they see fit (predation).

Not only does Rand regard both self-sacrifice and the sacrifice of others as immoral; she also regards the use of any form or degree of initiatory physical force against human beings as properly illegal. In her words, the essential characteristics of a civilized society are that men deal with one another, not as victims and executioners, nor as masters and slaves, but as traders, by free, voluntary exchange to mutual benefit; and that no man may obtain any values from others by resorting to physical force, and no man may initiate the use of physical force against others.13

Needless to say, Rands staunch advocacy of voluntary exchange to mutual benefit and her moral opposition to the use of force as a means of obtaining values from people will not fly with people or governments that want to use force to obtain values from people. Criminals who want to steal peoples belongings, commit fraud, rape people, or violate rights in other ways will not embrace a moral code that forbids them to do so. Likewise, governments that want to force people to serve the common good or the community or the master race or some other master will not recognize or uphold a morality that forbids them to initiate physical force against people. And pull-peddling businessmen who want government to forcibly control, regulate, or cripple their competitors will not recognize or uphold a moral code that forbids such coercion either.

This problemRands moral opposition to the use of physical force against human beingslies at the very base of her political theory, where it serves as a bridge between her moral code and her political views. This is where Rands theory of rights comes into the picture. As she put it:

Rights are a moral conceptthe concept that provides a logical transition from the principles guiding an individuals actions to the principles guiding his relationship with othersthe concept that preserves and protects individual morality in a social contextthe link between the moral code of a man and the legal code of a society, between ethics and politics. Individual rights are the means of subordinating society to moral law.14

Rand sees individual rights as the governing principle of a civilized society because she sees rights as deriving from mans nature and as requirements of his life in a social context. She elaborates:

A right is a moral principle defining and sanctioning a mans freedom of action in a social context. There is only one fundamental right (all the others are its consequences or corollaries): a mans right to his own life. Life is a process of self-sustaining and self-generated action; the right to life means the right to engage in self-sustaining and self-generated actionwhich means: the freedom to take all the actions required by the nature of a rational being for the support, the furtherance, the fulfillment and the enjoyment of his own life. (Such is the meaning of the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.)15

According to Rand, the only proper purpose of government is to protect individual rights by banning physical force from social relationshipsand by using force only in retaliation and only against those who initiate its use.16

Clearly, no one who wants government to do more than that will embrace Rands philosophy. No one who wants government to forcibly redistribute wealth, or to forbid certain kinds of speech, or to forbid certain kinds of consensual adult sex, or to restrict freedom in any other way will embrace a philosophy that demands principled recognition and absolute protection of individual rights.

A final problem worth mentioning about Rand and her philosophy is that she wrote in plain, intelligible English and defined her terms clearly as a matter of course, so that anyone who wants to understand her ideas can do so with relative ease. Toward this end, in addition to presenting her ideas in various nonfiction works, she dramatized them in spellbinding fictionsuch as her novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shruggedthus enabling people to see her ideas in practice. Well, this will not go over well with modern philosophers or academics who insist that philosophy must be written in academese, technical jargon, or impenetrable fog. Nor will it pass muster with anyone who feels that dramatizing or concretizing ideas in fiction somehow disqualifies them.

We could go on. Rands philosophy involves many additional problems. But the foregoing is a concise indication of the trouble it causes.

So, next time the subject of whats wrong with Ayn Rands ideas comes up, be sure to share this brief sketch of the kinds of problems involved. Its better for people to learn whats wrong with Rands actual ideas than to waste time contemplating takedowns of straw men.

Craig is cofounder and editor of The Objective Standard, cofounder and director of education at Objective Standard Institute, and executive director of Prometheus Foundation. He is the author of Loving Life: The Morality of Self-Interest and the Facts that Support It; Rational Egoism: The Morality for Human Flourishing; and the forthcoming Moral Truths Your Parents, Preachers, and Teachers Dont Want You to Know. He is currently working on his fourth book, Thinking in Principles.

1 See Ayn Rand, This is John Galt Speaking, in Ayn Rand, For the New Intellectual (New York: Signet, 1961), esp. 12452.

2 See For the New Intellectual; Ayn Rand, This is John Galt Speaking, in For the New Intellectual; and Rand, Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, 2nd ed., edited by Harry Binswanger and Leonard Peikoff (New York: Penguin, 1990).

3 Sam Harris, The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason (New York: W. W. Norton, 2004), 41.

4 Immanuel Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, translated by Norman Kemp Smith (New York: St. Martins, 1965), 8285.

5 Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, 346.

6 Rand, For the New Intellectual, 32.

7 Ayn Rand, What Is Capitalism? in Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal (New York: Signet, 1967), 16.

8 See Rand, This is John Galt Speaking, 12027.

9 See Rand, This is John Galt Speaking, 129; Leonard Peikoff, Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand (New York: Meridian, 1993), 267.

10 See Rand, The Nature of the Second-Hander, in For the New Intellectual, 6871; see also Ayn Rand, Journals of Ayn Rand, edited by David Harriman (New York: Dutton, 1997), esp. 9091, 293294, 416.

11 See Ayn Rand, The Objectivist Ethics, in The Virtue of Selfishness (New York: Signet, 1964), esp. 2128.

12 Ayn Rand, Introducing Objectivism, in The Voice of Reason (New York: Meridian, 1989), 4.

13 Rand, Introducing Objectivism, 4.

14 Ayn Rand, Mans Rights, in Virtue of Selfishness, 10810.

15 Rand, Mans Rights, 110.

16 Ayn Rand, What Is Capitalism?, in Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal (New York: Signet, 1967), 19.

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Paul and Romney embarrass themselves by lashing out at trans athletes – Outsports

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After one of President Bidens recent executive orders provided encouraging news for trans athletes, backlash was sadly inevitable. After all, hes a new president and as weve discussed numerous times, transgender athletes have become a lightning rod in Americas endless and tiresome culture wars.

So its not surprising that during the confirmation hearing for prospective Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona, a few ambitious politicians would take the opportunity to announce that their number one academic priority was to throw a marginalized group under the bus.

Enter U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.

The first words out of his mouth tipped off everyone where he was going and it wasnt anywhere pleasant...

The Office of Civil Rights sent a letter to Connecticut saying that boys cant compete with girls in sports or shouldnt be forced to allow boys to compete in girls sports [sic]. If youre confirmed, will you enforce that Office of Civil Rights opinion?

To review, a duly elected U.S. Senator couldnt make it through one sentence (and thats being very generous with the term) without misgendering an entire community twice. It is a credit to Cardonas sense of restraint that he responded with an answer other than Grownups are talking. Why dont you go color?

Instead, Cardona asserted that his job as Secretary of Education would be to make sure were following civil rights of all students. He later expounded, I think its critically important that education systems and educators respect the rights of all students, including students who are transgender, and that they are afforded the opportunities that every other student has to participate in extracurricular activities.

That sound you just heard was one of Betsy DeVoss yachts exploding.

At that point, Paul began playing the greatest hits of Martina and the TERFs, spouting out talking points like destroy girls athletics, they dont get college scholarships, and hulking six-foot-four guys wrestling against girls. The proceedings transformed into less of a Senate hearing and more of a jukebox of bullshit.

Listening to his line of questioning, it was worth remembering that Paul considers himself a Libertarian. And if theres one singular piece of philosophy at the core of Ayn Rands canon, its that whenever people are left to freely pursue excellence in their chosen field, the government should step in to stop them as forcefully as possible. While calling John Galt a woman.

If trans athletes are such a threat to the core of Pauls world, maybe he can form his own barnstorming team called The Parasites.

That wasnt all. Later in the hearing, Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah took the floor. In the past year, Romney has marched with Black Lives Matter demonstrators and was part of the Group of Ten Republicans who met with President Biden to give the appearance of being willing to negotiate with Democrats.

But when it came to trans athletes, Romney was almost enthusiastic in his support for Pauls demagoguery:

I want to associate myself with a number of the things that were said by Senator Paul. Thats not something I say very frequently! But he made a very, very good point. Ive got pictures of my eight granddaughters... they shouldnt be competing with people who are physiologically in an entirely different category. And I think boys should be competing with boys and girls should be competing with [girls] on the athletic field.

Epic sigh.

I understand that confirmation hearings are all about trying to generate soundbites, especially when the nominee already has the votes clinched. Furthermore, I also know there are many out LGBTQ Republicans and conservatives who align with Paul and Romney on many issues.

But this is a story of two extremely powerful leaders cynically singling out members of our community to score cheap points. They also serve to turn people who havent researched this issue against a group that is already marginalized, othered and attacked way too frequently as it is.

This sorry episode isnt about politics or ideological disagreements. These are two of the most powerful men in the country going all-in on punching down. Its one bit of political theater that should have closed during previews.

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Paul and Romney embarrass themselves by lashing out at trans athletes - Outsports

Get creative to help artists through pandemic – The Guardian

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The Irish pilot of a universal basic income for artists (Editorial, 7 February) is partially the equivalent of Frances support for performing artists. There, dancers, musicians, designers and technicians who are working on a production receive unemployment support. This was introduced in 1936 as the rgime salari intermittent employeurs multiples (system for intermittently salaried workers with multiple employers) to support technicians in the film industry. This created the right to publicly funded unemployment benefits for each day that they were not in work. Recipients have to have done a minimum of 507 hours of paid work during a one-year period.

I understand that this applies more broadly across the arts in France, and a similar system exists in Belgium. In December 2020, the UK trade union Equity called on the government to introduce a basic income guarantee for creative workers in the performing arts. This would provide them with financial stability during the pandemic and ensure that they are free to take work when it arises without fear of losing other forms of support. We should not ignore one of the UKs most successful assets in the way the government seems to be doing.David CockayneLymm, Cheshire

Heres my big idea for an arts policy that your excellent editorial called for: use a windfall tax on pandemic-fuelled profits made by online gambling and video-streaming services to support a new deal of the soul. This would pay organisations to commission art for, with and by children and young people that deserves a wider audience. Ensure that freelancers are paid to be at the heart of this, and go beyond schools to find those young people most at risk of continued social isolation and dislocation.Joe HallgartenLondon

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MOTA to host From The Bahamas With Love virtual romance expo – EyeWitness News

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS The Bahamas, one of the worlds leading destinations for weddings and honeymoons, is gearing up to host two virtual events From The Bahamas With Love to showcase the vast offerings for romantic escapes throughout the destination.

The expo will bring together industry leaders, partners, hotels, venues and services for a truly unique and educational experience for trade and consumer participants.

The virtual events will kick off on Wednesday, March 3, 2021, from 1pm to 4pm EST, with an afternoon planned specifically for trade professionals, including travel agents and event planners.

The second day of events will be Wednesday, March 10, 2021, from 4pm to 7pm EST, and is open to consumers, including soon-to-be engaged or recently engaged couples, future brides and grooms, bachelorette party planners, honeymoon do-over seekers and more.

The pandemic has caused many couples to postpone or reimagine their romantic getaways over the last year, and the destination wants to ensure future planning is made as seamless as possible in 2021. From The Bahamas With Love will feature a diverse series of panel discussions with experts from across all romance industry sectors, along with opportunities to network directly with partners. Those attending will enjoy a literal taste of The Bahamas from home via the activities and experiences.

Director General of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation (MOTA) Joy Jibrilu said: With intimate, secluded cays, unmatched turquoise waters and pink and white-sand beaches, its easy to understand why The Bahamas is considered one of the worlds most romantic destinations.

With so many offerings available, we are thrilled to connect consumers to experts across a number of industries through our virtual romance expo experience to ensure the ease of planning a romantic Bahamian getaway, especially after so many plans were upended this last year.

Whether couples are planning a wedding, anniversary, honeymoon or simply a romantic escape, the virtual expo offers invaluable access to experts and resources to take all of the stress away from planning and allow more time to find out why Its Better in The Bahamas.

March 3 activities will feature engaging panels and breakout sessions, sales workshops and virtual networking booths. Speakers and moderators will include MOTA Deputy Director General Ellison Tommy Thompson, three promotion boards, Certified Speaking Professional and leading Wedding Business Consultant Alan Berg, Co-founder of Destination Wedding and Honeymoon Specialist Association Lisa Sheldon, President of the Association of Bridal Consultants David Woods and Co-founder of the Wedding Planners Institute of Canada Danielle Andrews.

On March 10, participants will be treated to the magazine launch of From The Bahamas with Love. The keynote speaker on that day will be Editor-in-chief of Destination I Do magazine Jennifer Stein, and other speakers or moderators will include Weddingbells Magazine Editor Alison McGill, Co-founder of The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada Tracey Manailescu and Publisher of Caribbean Bride Magazine David Cox, with a number of boutique hotels also set to present.

There will be prizes and giveaways on both days, as well as bridal fashion shows and a Taste of The Bahamas culinary experience. But only on March 10 will lucky couples have a chance to win one of 16 romantic experiences, including an all-expenses-paid romantic getaway to The Bahamas and a destination wedding or vow renewal.

Presenting or moderating on both days will be MOTA Executive Director Bridgette King, Director of Weddings and Special Occasions at Atlantis Paradise Island Jena Conway, Director of Sales and Marketing for USA and Canada (Viva Wyndham) Gilda Noboa, Director of Events Desiree Moxey, President of the Bahamas Bridal Association Cindy Coakley-Knowles, Director of Wildflowers Natalie Appleyard, Marva Munroe of Chic Bahamas Weddings, photographer Lyndah Wells and Kenton Burrows of Expressions Entertainment.

To register for the expo, trade professionals can visit the website https://www.bahamas.com/from-the-bahamas-with-love-trade and consumers can visit the website https://www.bahamas.com/from-the-bahamas-with-love-consumer.

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MOTA to host From The Bahamas With Love virtual romance expo - EyeWitness News

Three rescued from island in Bahamas – Yahoo News

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The Telegraph

A detained Saudi womens rights activist had electrodes fixed to her head during phone calls with her family to prevent her speaking of the torture she suffered in prison, her sister said on Thursday after her release. Loujain al-Hathoul was released to her familys home in Riyadh on Wednesday after 1,001 days in prison on charges related to her activism. Under her probation she is unable to travel, use social media or speak to the media. Her sisters, who live abroad, announced Thursday that Ms al-Hathoul will seek legal redress in Saudi Arabia for torture she said she suffered in detention. She was tortured and she cannot forget this, her sister Lina said, during an online press conference. The family have previously claimed Ms al-Hathoul was tortured which Saudi authorities deny but gave new details Thursday, including that the threat of electrocution stopped her speaking out. If I complained about anything they were ready to electrocute me, Lina said her sister told the family on Wednesday of her early months in detention. It was months later that we found out about the torture when Ms al-Hathoul was moved to another prison, Lina said. Ms al-Hathoul has identified one of her torturers as Saud Al Qahtani, a top adviser to the Saudi crown prince until he was sanctioned by the US over his role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Hes the only person that we know the name of who was present at the torture sessions, Lina said. Mr Qahtani is notorious in Saudi Arabia, sometimes called the lord of the flies for his army of Twitter trolls used for attacking dissidents. Loujain recognised him, hes a public figure, said her older sister Alia. Ms al-Hathoul now hopes to use the Saudi justice system to prove she was tortured and seek justice. The torturers must be sentenced, Lina said. In December, Ms al-Hathoul was sentenced to nearly six years imprisonment over her activism, which included demanding the right for women to drive and calling for the abolition of Saudi Arabias male guardianship system. The decades old driving ban was lifted weeks after her arrest, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman eager to claim the credit for the reform. The 35-year-old prince muscled his way to become next in line to the throne in 2015, partly by projecting an image as a dynamic young reformer who could modernise the conservative kingdom. But the sisters believe that any reforms under Mohammed bin Salman are illusory. MBS is far from being a reformer, hes an oppressor, said Lina, referring to him by his initials. Womens empowerment is a lie in Saudi Arabia, there are no real reforms, she said. Lina said she was choosing her words carefully to avoid further negative repercussions for her family still in Saudi Arabia: Theres really an atmosphere of fear under MBS. The family believe Ms al-Hathouls early release was timed by the Saudi government to impress new US President Joe Biden, who has promised closer scrutiny of his close allys human rights record. Saudi Arabias situation is tightly connected with whats going on in the US, Alia said. The Biden administration made clear that they care about human rights.

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Three rescued from island in Bahamas - Yahoo News

BNT: BPC oil exploration failure should be turning point to embrace sustainability and renewable energy – EyeWitness News

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS The Bahamas National Trust (BNT) said Bahamas Petroleum Companys (BPC) unfruitful oil exploration exercise should serve as a turning point for this nation to focus on working towards a future that embraces sustainability and renewable energy.

The BNT said in a statement that it is reassured to hear that no commercial volumes of oil have been discovered during this exercise, and that the company will cease its activities in this area.

The BNT is pleased to hear no incidents occurred in the drilling process and hopes the abandonment procedure goes well, without incident, the BNT stated.

The BNT believes this should be a turning point for The Bahamas, where we unite and focus on working together for a future that embraces sustainability and clean, renewable energy.

BNT Executive Director Eric Carey said:This was a risky endeavor, and the results of this operation have proved that there werent economically viable quantities of oil in that location.

What we do know is that we do not need extensive research to verify that our marine environment and its associated resources contribute some $8 billion annually to our economy.

According to the BNT, with the prime minister and other government officials having stated that they do not support oil exploration in The Bahamas, the results of BPCs oil exploration now afford the country the opportunity to review and extinguish any existing or expired seabed leases for the purpose of oil exploration.

The BNT is now encouraging every local NGO and Bahamian citizen who has made their voices heard on this matter to remain vigilant.

Even though BPC has shared that this well will be abandoned, they have also indicated that this does not signal the end of their activity in The Bahamas, the BNT said.

The BNT strongly supports the inspiring advocacy from local organizations and individuals who have made their voices heard on this matter and all other environmental matters that affect our future. The BNT especially commends the work of coalition Our Islands, Our Future, who have tirelessly worked to bring people together and take action on this matter.

We must continue pressing onward, marching together to a common loftier goal a goal that moves us toward a sustainable future in the face of a changing climate.

Earlier this week, BPC announced that it had not found commercial quantities of oil and had abandoned its exploratory drilling after its well came up largely dry. The companys stock took a nearly 70 percent hit as a result of the long-awaited announcement.

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BNT: BPC oil exploration failure should be turning point to embrace sustainability and renewable energy - EyeWitness News

Diamond Aircraft expands exclusive dealer arrangement with Premier Aircraft to the Bahamas – CAPA – Centre for Aviation

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CAPA publishes more than 400 global News Briefs every weekday, covering all aspects of the aviation and travel industry. Its the most comprehensive source of market intelligence in the world, with around 50 per cent of content translated from non-English sources. The breadth of our coverage means you wont need any other news sources to monitor competitors and stay informed about the latest developments in the wider aviation sector.

Our daily News Briefs are only available to CAPA Members. Membership provides access to more than 400 News Briefs every weekday, with quick links to our Analysis Reports, Research Publications, Data Centre and more.

Its easy to keep your News Briefs relevant by customising your email alerts based on topic, region, sector, frequency and more. Once youve saved your settings, you can stay up-to-date wherever you are, by quickly scanning our News Briefs online or via the CAPA mobile app.

Membership also provides full access to our Analysis Reports, in-depth Research Publications and comprehensive Data Centre. Premium CAPA Members can also access add-ons such as our exclusive Fleet Database, Airline Cask Data tools and more, to enjoy the full capabilities of our global platform.

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Diamond Aircraft expands exclusive dealer arrangement with Premier Aircraft to the Bahamas - CAPA - Centre for Aviation

New Greene County judge: Kids the real victims in drug-related crimes – Springfield News Sun

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Were going to treat everyone that comes before the court fairly and honestly, Tonichio said. I want people to say, even if the court decision doesnt go their way, that they felt heard throughout the process. Thats the true foundation of a court system, is when everybody on a case, on whatever side they are in a lawsuit or a criminal complaint, if they feel that the process was fair, that their voice was heard... to me, thats huge.

Tornichio said while he was juvenile judge, the court was in early discussions with Clark State about a job readiness program. He hopes when the pandemic is over that work continues.

While on the bench in juvenile court, Tornichio saw who he calls the true victims of the opioid epidemic kids.

If you would have asked me before I took juvenile bench, are drugs a victimless crime? I would have said yes, Tornichio said. But after seeing the rampages of the opioid epidemic in our children services, neglect, dependency cases, those are the real victims. So that stands out.

Tornichio said this past week when sentencing a teenager, the juvenile congratulated him on his new role. Tornichio told that teenager that the best thing he can do is to run into him out in the community and not see his name on the docket in adult court.

My goal is to encourage them that they can put the past behind them. They can start a new chapter in the book of life, Tornichio said. I say this to probably about every kid on the delinquency docket: when they succeed, our county succeeds.

Judge Buckwalter asked Tornichio to take over the Veterans Treatment Court started by Judge Wolaver.

Im excited. I look forward to working with the veterans support and treatment team and our veterans to help them get their lives back on track, Tornichio said.

Tornichio said he also plans to continue the work Wolaver did to bring more technology to the courthouse. Tornichio said after the pandemic is over, he images tools like Zoom could be continued to be used.

Tornichio, who lives in Beavercreek, previously served for 16 years as a Greene County assistant prosecutor and served the county for three years as a law clerk. Before his county-level service, Tornichio was a prosecuting attorney for the village of Waynesville, acting law director for the city of Xenia and a private practicing attorney.

He earned his law degree from the University of Toledo College of Law and his undergraduate degree from Wright State University.

Tornichio said his wife of nearly five years, Heather, helps keep him grounded when he gets a big head or black robe fever. The two have a daughter.

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New Greene County judge: Kids the real victims in drug-related crimes - Springfield News Sun

Jason Williams has vowed never to use the habitual offender statute. What does that mean for criminal justice in New Orleans? – The Lens

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Harry Connick became Orleans Parish District Attorney in 1974 promising to reduce crime in the city, and while an article in the New Orleans States-Item assessing his first eight months in office said it was too early to tell if Connick was effective, his strategy was clear.

Whether he is right, whether his office can really bring about a reduction in the citys crime rate, it is still too early to say, the article read. But if you ask him whether he believes it can, he stares at you incredulously and replies, Youre darned right I do. And if you persist and ask how, Harry Connick turns, and with no small amount of glee, shouts, Multiple billing!

Multiple billing, the term sometimes used for when the states habitual offender statute is utilized, has allowed prosecutors in Orleans Parish and throughout the state to seek higher penalties than the standard sentencing guidelines allow for a specific crime if a person has been convicted of previous felonies.

The evidence that Connick was serious about the strategy is clear from glancing at old newspaper articles. In 1975, one man was sentenced to life in prison for stealing a TV. That same year, another got 30 years for receiving a stolen camera, and shoplifting meant a man faced 20 years to life in a 1976 case. During the decades that Connick held office, the capacity of the New Orleans jail increased tenfold from around 850 beds to 8,500. Both the state of Louisiana and the country as a whole saw a dramatic increase in their prison populations. And today, 30 percent of people in prison who were sentenced under the habitual offender statute were convicted in New Orleans.

It is Connicks legacy along with that of recently retired DA Leon Cannizzaro that newly-sworn-in DA Jason Williams has said he wants to reverse. His pledge to end the aggressive tactics of his predecessors includes a blanket prohibition of using or threatening the multiple bill in cases his office is prosecuting.

The abolition of the multiple bill in New Orleans was something reform advocates such as the ACLU of Louisiana, the Peoples DA Coalition, and others pushed throughout the 2020 DA campaign.

The statute itself encapsulates many of the broader trends in criminal justice that many scholars say led to the rise of mass incarceration. It grants increased power to prosecutors restricting judicial discretion and mandates harsher sentences. It also allows prosecutors to decide when they will and will not use it, opening the door for abuse and discrimination, according to Danny Engelberg, chief of trials for the Orleans Public Defenders. He said that the habitual offender statute and other similar three strikes laws were among the leading factors of why we have such a high incarceration rate in this country.

We absolutely want to use the discretion differently than how its been applied in the past, Williams said in a recent interview with The Lens. And whether its with the habitual offender law, whether it is parole, we are in no way abicating in any way any of the power, authority, and discretion of the office. But were trying to be more selective in terms of how it is applied, and when its not applied. With public safety being the measure, not revenge or anger.

While there are few people in the criminal justice system in New Orleans today who are as openly gleeful about the utilization of the habitual offender bill as Connick was in 74, it still has its defenders. The law is sometimes described as a tool that prosecutors can use to ensure dangerous defendants do not get let back out onto the street by unscrupulous judges.

Former prosecutor and Criminal District Court Judge Keva Landrum, who ran against WIlliams for DA, often said during her campaign the law was meant to be utilized as a shield against the most dangerous criminals, but instead was often used by prosecutors as a sword. At the start of the campaign, Landrum vowed to limit using the law for its original purpose, and only use it in rare circumstances. But by the end, she had shifted her position, and committed to never using or threatening the multiple bill at all.

Rafael Goyeneche, president of the Metropolitan Crime Commission and a former prosecutor, said that Williams should look at each case individually, and that by taking the habitual offender statute off the table he may be limiting his ability to do his job.

I dont think we ever talk in absolutes, he said. The habitual offender statute is not inherently evil. If there are problems with it, its with the application.

He also said that now that Williams is in office, he may find the promise difficult to keep.

There will be circumstances where I believe that he will revisit that policy, Goyeneche said. Not because of a philosophical reason, but because the individual facts of that case.

But so far, according to defense attorneys with the Orleans Public Defenders office, Williams office has maintained its commitment. Given that jury trials are suspended at Criminal District Court due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the full impacts are still unclear.

Williams predecessor, Leon Cannizzaro, for many years shared Connicks affection for using the multiple billto a much greater extent than most of his counterparts throughout the state. Reporting by the podcast Reveal, from the Center for Investigative Reporting, found that between January of 2009 and 2017, Cannizzaro utilized the law over 2,600 times. The DAs office in East Baton Rouge Parish used it just 66 times during the same period.

Cannizzaros utilization of the multiple bill decreased significantly during his later years in office, however, and the state legislature adjusted the law in 2017, reducing mandatory minimum sentences for some offenses and shortening the cleansing period the amount of time after a conviction during which it can be applied to a persons priors under the statute for non-violent crimes.

But according to Engelberg, in New Orleans, the threat of Cannizzaros prosecutors using the habitual offender statute continued to loom over all criminal proceedings at Tulane and Broad, leaving open the possibility for harsh sentences and coercing defendants to plead guilty sometimes to crimes they didnt commit rather than risk going to trial and being multiple-billed.

In the prior administration, that was always there, he said. I dont remember a situation in which someone exercised their right to trial the district attorney ever said, We will not multiple-bill you.

Goyeneche said that some of the rhetoric around the habitual offender statute has been misleading because it fails to consider the facts of a persons criminal history, or the possibility that someone pleaded guilty to a lesser offense than what they were really charged with.

If youre in the penitentiary for anything other than a crime of violence, its because you have extensive criminal history, Goyeneche said. And usually, you cant just look at the offense that someone pled guilty to, you have to look at what they were charged with. That was part of the plea bargaining process.

But Emily Maw, the former director of the Innocence Project New Orleans, whom Williams has hired to head up a newly created Civil Rights Division, said in a recent interview that the law has compounded already existing racial disparities in the criminal legal system.

The thing that you need to understand about habitual offenders, and one of the reasons that we can identify that as an area that we must tackle if we are going to tackle the racial disparities in the criminal legal system, and mass incarceration, and unequal opportunities, is that so many of the enhancing crimes the crimes of a first offense, second offense are crimes that everyone is committing, but only Black people are policed for, Maw said.

Maw pointed to possession of drugs as an example of a crime that Black people are disproportionately charged with, despite the fact that drug use among white and Black people is roughly equal. (A 2013 report from the ACLU found that on average, a Black person is 3.73 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than a white person, even though Blacks and whites use marijuana at similar rates.)

So it is basically an extra punishment for being Black and committing a crime, she said.

Nearly 80 percent of people in Louisiana prisons serving habitual offender sentences are Black, compared to around 66 percent of the prison population as a whole.

Last week, the DAs office reached an agreement with defense attorneys to vacate one mans habitual offender sentence, who was given life without parole after prosecutors in Connicks office utilized the multiple-bill after a 1998 conviction. The agreement allowed him to be freed from the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola after 24 years. Maw said that the Civil Rights Division will be doing a broader review of cases that were multiple-billed, and hopes that the case last week is just the first of many similar agreements to come.

So far, Engelberg said, having the habitual offender law off the table has allowed for some cases to be resolved more quickly because without the threat of the multiple-bill prosecutors are offering more inviting plea deals.

Youre seeing cases resolved much better because sentences are just, frankly, more addressed to a persons individual specific need, he said.

But he said he suspects that taking the habitual offender table may end up leading to more trials in the future which he sees as a good thing.

He also said he was hopeful that one of the collateral effects of taking the new policy would be to expose cases that are built on weak evidence, or even police misconduct. Even in cases where prosecutors were aware that their case was weak, he said, they could use the threat of harsh sentences to force a plea deal and make sure that questionable searches or other misconduct was not presented to the judge or jury.

One of the things you will see very differently well see more light of day on how police stop and search people, and more light of day on whether that evidence is strong enough in these, quote unquote, victimless crimes which are really about having something youre not new supposed to have.

Goyeneche said he was concerned that without the ability to seek harsher sentences or leverage plea deals, people who could continue to cycle through the system.

So you know, the responsibility of the district attorney is to the people of Louisiana and you dont give the same deals to someone when they are a fourth offender that you would offer to the first, he said, and reiterated that Williams was unnecessarily limiting his ability to prosecute cases by taking the multiple-bill off the table.

Williams said that while he agreed that in some instances the broad discretion of a prosecutor was useful such as declining to prosecute low-level marijuana charges, or focusing resources on violent offenses the benefits of that discretion do not extend to the use of the multiple bill.

If the goal is justice, and the goal is resolving the case in a way that makes the community safe, if a person is using vast discretion to deliver on those things, thats a wonderful thing, Williams said. When someone is using their discretion to harm a certain segment of the community, thats terrible.

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Jason Williams has vowed never to use the habitual offender statute. What does that mean for criminal justice in New Orleans? - The Lens

Rotterdam 2021 Review: Political Cyber-Thriller LONE WOLF, A Visual Experiment With an Allure of Genre Film – ScreenAnarchy

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Kiwi filmmaker Jonathan Ogilvie turns his Ph.D. thesis The Cinematic of Surveillance into a feature-length reimagination of Joseph Conrads The Secret Agent in his latest feature Lone Wolf. The reality aesthetics propelled into popculture by The Blair Witch Project envelopes Ogilvies political thriller of surveillance capitalism. After Xu Bing conjured a narrative from piecing together authentic found footage in Dragonfly Eyes, Ogilvie opts for the opposite approach - emulating found footage to materialize a plot of "a victimless atrocity" gone wrong.

In the center is a bookstore Pleasure Pen in a near-future Australia, the humble dwelling of its owner Conrad (Josh McConville), his environmentalist girlfriend Winnie (Tilda Cobham-Hervey), and her nature-loving brother Stevie (Chris Bunton) with Down syndrome. Conrad is amidst an evangelization for the return of fax machines, a communication technology that does not leave an immense trail of data unlike other types of new-tech. He is also a member of a minarchist (a quasi-anarchist) cell, his rag-tag group of renegades consists of a squatter Hippy Karl (Tyler Coppin), a defrocked priest Father Michaelis (Lawrence Mooney), and Ossipon (Marlon Williams), a bit of an opportunist sleaze whom Conrad calls debasingly "a gigolo".

Since the exotic pornography Conrad is offering in the bookstore does not generate the steady income he needs to support them and fund activities of political activism with his fellow counter-surveillance fighters, he keeps hustling as a secret police informant. In the light of the upcoming G20 summit, Conrad receives an offer from a shady group he would not be rather associated with. However, the wad of cash and the common goal of disrupting the summit and not harming anybody, so basically a PR stunt, tilts him to accept the job.

The whole odyssey of Conrad to become "a good terrorist" until after a tragic denouement unfolds in a retrospect as a supercut of found footage stitched into a cinematic cyber-text of CCTV clips and social media videos. It is watched by a freshly elected minister of justice (Hugo Weaving) and two police officers, one disgraced and one promoted, in real-time. The seemingly disgraced officer, Conrads connection Kylie (Diana Glenn), brought the supercut which she edited with a gusto of a veteran editor with a sense for accelerated dramatic rhythms (Bernadette Murray is the actual editor of Lone Wolf). The "domestic drama", as the minister comments the first third of the footage, unraveling in Pleasure Pen erupts into a full-blown national security risk that could be subtitled as A Downfall in Two Acts.

The films brave new world of ceaseless surveillance is not a Big-Brother-driven dystopia but a mundane norm. Ogilvie renders the action in a surveillance stylization - odd angles of security cameras, feed from in-house CCTV and smartphone handcam footage - adopting tropes of surveillance for the purpose of the story, an aesthetics he dubs cineveillant. The Lone Wolf website lists the breed of mockumentary horrors The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, and even more surprisingly, Roy Anderssons oeuvres, as examples of cineveillant films. The text explaining the nature of cineveillant cinema states that the genre does not always make a direct reference to surveillance but employs "surveillance vocabulary" in the visual storytelling. In the case of Lone Wolf, the motif of surveillance is employed not solely in visual storytelling but in the spy narrative as well.

The cineveillant aspect of the film contributes to a streamlined narration as the unfolding of the "found footage" plotline is fairly accelerated and eventful. Stevies leisure observations of people around him la David Attenborough create a counter-balance to eventful central storyline enhancing the story with the additional semantic layer. Stevies naturalist angle frames humans as social animals by nature, an observation that stands opposite to the concept of a lone wolf, a term the minister proposes to use after a botched "victimless atrocity", which happens to be a purely political construct. Ultimately, the botched "propaganda by deed" Conrad is supposed to accomplish is a collective doing implicating even the state and police officials.

In the end, Lone Wolf is a drama of human tragedy exceeding the paranoid era of cyber-surveillance (the topic partially touches upon subjects of Petr Zelenkas Droneman and Dostoyevskys The Possessed where he attempted to depict in his own words "the variety of motives capable of manipulating the purest of hearts and the most innocent of people into committing heinous crimes" which has a striking resonance in Lone Wolf).

In the scheme of political power struggles, machinations, and good intentions gone wrong, it is not a lone wolf that orchestrates the destruction but a bevy of wolfs, complicit and enabling alike, affirming the timeless proverb homo homini lupus. Similarly to The Pink Cloud, a motif of disrupting gender stereotypes and narrative tropes stemming from those conventions underlines Ogilvies oeuvre up to the overturning finale of male downfall.

Ultimately, Lone Wolf convenientlymarries a visual experiment with a narrative allure of genre cinema.

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Rotterdam 2021 Review: Political Cyber-Thriller LONE WOLF, A Visual Experiment With an Allure of Genre Film - ScreenAnarchy

The trader who was made the fall guy for the wrongdoings of an entire era – Telegraph.co.uk

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Tom Hayes is the sort of genius who was idiotic enough to be the ringleader of a huge fraud conspiracy with almost no other convicted members. Mr Hayes was the UBS trader convicted and sent to jail for 11 years for manipulating Libor, a widely used interest rate, and this week he was released after serving half his sentence. The three other people found guilty (out of 13 charged) were freed years ago.

Most people wont feel sorry for Mr Hayes but I do. Yes, he deserved some jail time, but a sentence longer than many given out for violent crimes was ridiculous. His was a victimless crime that was widely known in his industry, albeit massively expanded by his own inventiveness.

Essentially, he set up a trading portfolio to benefit from tiny swings in Libor, an estimated cost of borrowing, and then co-ordinated a gang to manipulate the rate by miniscule amounts within a band that was officially considered credible. No onecan definitively claim to have been cheated by it.

Anyway, this rather otherworldly finance whizz, who has mild Aspergers, inadvertently made it easy for prosecutors by at first co-operating and delivering incriminating monologues in police interviews, before suddenly switching strategy and deciding to fight his case. It was obviously a lost cause by that point.

Whats really interesting about Mr Hayes is the way in which he was made the fall guy for the whole 2008 era by a bunch of desperate prosecutors and banks. His crimes had nothing to do with excessive borrowing, bank bailouts or the stability of the financial system. Yet he became the poster boy for all of it because he was the only really rich trader who made it easy for prosecutors to lay a hand on him.

The best book on the scandal, The Spider Network by David Enrich, even lays out how Mr Hayess employer UBS was allowed to cherry-pick the evidence handed over to prosecutors from a vast cache of internal files, the rest of which it argued was protected by Swiss banking secrecy law.

Mr Hayes, naturally, was simply a bad apple, whose activities his bosss bosss boss knew nothing about. Never mind, though. Prosecutors had their scalp, so what did they care? The public, they judged, would be too stupid to notice thedifference.

Its hard to regret the fall of Aung San Suu Kyi, the erstwhile leader of Myanmar deposed by the army this week, whose political career highlights include denying her countrys genocide against the Rohingya ethnic group. Its also hard to welcome the restoration of rule by military junta in place of a quasi-democratic system, however flawed it was, especially given that it heralds a geopolitical shift in favour of the Chinese Communist Party.

The days when Britain wielded much influence over that part of the world are anyway long gone except perhaps in the legacy of leisure facilities. Visiting Myanmar about a decade ago, shortly before its opening up (which it hadnt announced at the time), I found myself observing the fattened officers of the junta up close and personal in the botanical gardens of a hill town called Pyin Oo Lwin. The town had a blissfully cool climate and was used under British rule as a summer retreat, after which the junta took it over, opened up a military school and used the town in much the same way.

On a Sunday afternoon in the gardens, which had the same layout and style of a British park, it was a strange scene. Contented-looking officers floated around on golf buggies, while young cadets prowled the garden paths with awkward, skimpily clad girls in tow, ostensibly all enjoying the wails of an emo punk group installed in the very British-looking bandstand set over a lake full of fat, orange carp. Outside the gate, locals had lined up a queue of dilapidated, Cinderella-style carriages affixed to dull-eyed, emaciated ponies, hawking rides to the army lads and their belles.

More broadly, the gardens tourist attractions had clearly been vastly expanded in anticipation of crowds that were mysteriously absent (most likely, I now know, ready for big tour groups ahead of the planned opening-up). There was a butterfly museum boasting thousands upon thousands of splendid creatures pinned, unlabelled, to the walls; an orchid house bursting with exotic species; a newly built fairy-tale tower; picnic tables; woodland walks; bamboo groves; water buffalo enclosures; and on and on. But apart from the strutting officers, all of it was empty.

Perhaps, in retrospect, they liked it that way. Why let your country develop, when you can cream off and keep the best of its vast natural wealth for yourself?

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The trader who was made the fall guy for the wrongdoings of an entire era - Telegraph.co.uk

Outlook on the Pharmacogenomics Global Market to 2030 – Trend Forecasts and Growth Opportunities – GlobeNewswire

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Dublin, Feb. 10, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Pharmacogenomics Market 2020-2030 by Service (Genotyping, SNP, Diagnostics), Technology (PCR, Microarray, Sequencing, Electrophoresis, MS), Application, End User, and Region: Trend Forecast and Growth Opportunity" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global pharmacogenomics market will reach $12.83 billion by 2030, growing by 8.1% annually over 2020-2030 driven by increase in adoption of personalized medicine and surge in usage of pharmacogenomics for drug discovery and development amid COVID-19 pandemic.

Highlighted with 88 tables and 83 figures, this 181-page report "Global Pharmacogenomics Market 2020-2030 by Service (Genotyping, SNP, Diagnostics), Technology (PCR, Microarray, Sequencing, Electrophoresis, MS), Application, End User, and Region: Trend Forecast and Growth Opportunity" is based on a comprehensive research of the entire global pharmacogenomics market and all its sub-segments through extensively detailed classifications. Profound analysis and assessment are generated from premium primary and secondary information sources with inputs derived from industry professionals across the value chain. The report is based on studies on 2015-2019 and provides forecast from 2020 till 2030 with 2019 as the base year.

In-depth qualitative analyses include identification and investigation of the following aspects:

The trend and outlook of global market is forecast in optimistic, balanced, and conservative view by taking into account of COVID-19. The balanced (most likely) projection is used to quantify global pharmacogenomics market in every aspect of the classification from perspectives of Service, Technology, Application, End User, and Region.

Based on Service, the global market is segmented into the following sub-markets with annual revenue for 2019-2030 included in each section.

Based on Technology, the global market is segmented into the following sub-markets with annual revenue for 2019-2030 included in each section.

Based on Application, the global market is segmented into the following sub-markets with annual revenue for 2019-2030 included in each section.

Based on End User, the global market is segmented into the following sub-markets with annual revenue for 2019-2030 included in each section.

Geographically, the following regions together with the listed national/local markets are fully investigated:

For each aforementioned region and country, detailed analysis and data for annual revenue are available for 2019-2030. The breakdown of all regional markets by country and split of key national markets by Service, Technology, and Application over the forecast years are also included.

The report also covers current competitive scenario and the predicted trend; and profiles key vendors including market leaders and important emerging players.

Specifically, potential risks associated with investing in global pharmacogenomics market are assayed quantitatively and qualitatively through a Risk Assessment System. According to the risk analysis and evaluation, Critical Success Factors (CSFs) are generated as a guidance to help investors & stockholders identify emerging opportunities, manage and minimize the risks, develop appropriate business models, and make wise strategies and decisions.

Key Players (this may not be a complete list and extra companies can be added upon request):

Key Topics Covered:

1 Introduction1.1 Industry Definition and Research Scope 1.1.1 Industry Definition 1.1.2 Research Scope 1.2 Research Methodology 1.2.1 Overview of Market Research Methodology 1.2.2 Market Assumption 1.2.3 Secondary Data 1.2.4 Primary Data 1.2.5 Data Filtration and Model Design 1.2.6 Market Size/Share Estimation 1.2.7 Research Limitations 1.3 Executive Summary

2 Market Overview and Dynamics2.1 Market Size and Forecast 2.1.1 Impact of COVID-19 on the Market 2.2 Major Growth Drivers 2.3 Market Restraints and Challenges 2.4 Emerging Opportunities and Market Trends 2.5 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

3 Segmentation of Global Market by Service3.1 Market Overview by Service 3.2 Genotyping 3.3 SNP Identification 3.4 Diagnostics 3.5 Other Services

4 Segmentation of Global Market by Technology4.1 Market Overview by Technology 4.2 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) 4.3 Microarray 4.4 Sequencing 4.5 Electrophoresis 4.6 Mass Spectrometry 4.7 Other Technologies

5 Segmentation of Global Market by Application5.1 Market Overview by Application 5.2 Oncology 5.3 Infectious Diseases 5.4 Neurology/Psychiatry 5.5 Cardiovascular 5.6 Pain Management 5.7 Other Applications

6 Segmentation of Global Market by End User6.1 Market Overview by End User 6.2 Hospitals and Clinics 6.3 Pharmaceutical Companies 6.4 Research Institutes

7 Segmentation of Global Market by Region7.1 Geographic Market Overview 2019-2030 7.2 North America Market 2019-2030 by Country 7.2.1 Overview of North America Market 7.2.2 U.S. 7.2.3 Canada 7.2.4 Mexico 7.3 European Market 2019-2030 by Country 7.3.1 Overview of European Market 7.3.2 Germany 7.3.3 UK 7.3.4 France 7.3.5 Spain 7.3.6 Italy 7.3.7 Russia 7.3.8 Rest of European Market 7.4 Asia-Pacific Market 2019-2030 by Country 7.4.1 Overview of Asia-Pacific Market 7.4.2 Japan 7.4.3 China 7.4.4 Australia 7.4.5 India 7.4.6 South Korea 7.4.7 Rest of APAC Region 7.5 South America Market 2019-2030 by Country 7.5.1 Argentina 7.5.2 Brazil 7.5.3 Chile 7.5.4 Rest of South America Market 7.6 MEA Market 2019-2030 by Country 7.6.1 UAE 7.6.2 Saudi Arabia 7.6.3 South Africa 7.6.4 Other National Markets

8 Competitive Landscape8.1 Overview of Key Vendors 8.2 New Product Launch, Partnership, Investment, and M&A 8.3 Company Profiles

9 Investing in Global Market: Risk Assessment and Management9.1 Risk Evaluation of Global Market 9.2 Critical Success Factors (CSFs)

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/iizyyb

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Outlook on the Pharmacogenomics Global Market to 2030 - Trend Forecasts and Growth Opportunities - GlobeNewswire

[Full text] A Novel Allele-Specific PCR Protocol for the Detection of the HLA-C*03 | TACG – Dove Medical Press

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Introduction

Allopurinol is a common hyperuricemia drug and one of the top inducers of severe cutaneous drug reactions (SCARs), especially in Asian patients.1,2 One of the most well-defined risk factors for allopurinol-induced SCARs is the presence of polymorphic human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles such as the HLA-B*58:01 allele,36 and to a lesser extent, the HLA-C*03:02 allele.7,8 The HLA-C*03:02 allele was found at 94% and 92%, respectively, of Han Chinese and Korean patients with allopurinol-induced SCARs. This allele was significantly associated with allopurinol-induced SCARs (OR = 97.7, p=1.4x109 in Han Chinese patients,7 OR = 82.1, p = 9.39x1011 in Korean patients).8 These studies implicated that the HLA-C*03:02 allele might be another pharmacogenomic marker together with the HLA-B*58:01 allele in allopurinol personalized treatment. Notably, the frequencies of the HLA-C*03:02 allele in several Asian populations including Vietnamese people are as high as that of the HLA-B*58:01 allele.9

A number of HLA-B*58:01 allele-specific detection methods have been commercialized to identify the patients at risk, change the prescription and therefore, minimize the SCARs risk. However, there is no protocol for specific detection of the HLA-C*03:02 allele. HLA-C*03:02 genotyping methods for research purposes include saturated tiling capture sequencing,10 next-generation sequencing,11 whole-genome sequencing,12 multiplex sequencing-based typing (SBT),13,14 sequence-specific oligonucleotides (SSO),9 and multiplex real-time PCR15 which uses series of primer sets for analysis of multiple HLA loci. All of those methods are very costly and would be difficult to be applied in clinical settings for allopurinol personalized medicine. There is a need for a simple and specific HLA-C*03:02 detection method for allopurinol personalized therapy, in order to avoid SCAR risk.

In this study, we established, for the first time, a simple allele-specific (AS) PCR method to detect HLA-C*03:02 allele carriers in Vietnamese Kinh people and identify their zygosities. This protocol was applied to determine the frequency of the HLA-C*03:02 allele in 810 unrelated Vietnamese Kinh people.

For protocol optimization, 10 DNA samples of known HLA-C genotype were provided by the Division of Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Thailand. The HLA genotypes of those samples were determined using the SSO method.16

For protocol validation, 100 DNA samples were prepared from the whole blood of unrelated Vietnamese Kinh people, including allopurinol-induced SCAR patients (48) and healthy volunteers (52).

For the HLA-C*03:02 allele frequency identification, 810 DNA samples were prepared from the whole blood of unrelated Vietnamese Kinh people evenly distributed in the North, the Centre and the South of Vietnam.

The study complied with the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Vietnam National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (IRB-VN01057-6/2018). All of the participants provided their informed written consents.

Whole blood was collected into EDTA anticoagulant tubes and stored at 20C until DNA extraction. Genomic DNA was isolated using the E.Z.N.A. Tissue DNA Kit (Omega Bio-tek, Atlanta, USA). The isolated DNA quantity and quality were assessed using Nanodrop 2000 (Thermo Fisher, Waltham, USA). The samples at the concentration of 35250 ng/L and the A260/280 of 1.651.95 were qualified for further experiments.

The PCR protocol consisted of two steps (Figure 1). The PCR primers were designed based on the alignment of 18 HLA-C alleles in the Vietnamese population reported by Hoa et al.9 The sequences of the 18 alleles were obtained from the IPD-IMGT/HLA database.17

Figure 1 Strategy for detecting and distinguishing homozygous/heterozygous genotypes of the HLA-C*03:02 allele. (A) PCR procedures: Step 1. The primer set HLACB1F/HLACB1R specifically amplified the exon 23 sequence of the HLA-C gene. Step 2. The 912 bp PCR product from step 1 was then used as a template for the step 2 PCR reactions, which used three primer sets. (B) Different patterns can be obtained with the three primer sets in the second PCR step according to the HLA-C*03:02 zygosity. (*): allele number.

In step 1, the primer set (HLACB1F/HLACB1R) was used to amplify specifically the exon 23 of the HLA-C locus. The first PCR was performed in a reaction mixture of 20 L containing 40 ng of genomic DNA, 0.5 pM of each primer (Integrated DNA Technologies, Coralville, USA) and 10 L of GoTaq Green Master Mix 2x (Promega Corporation, Madison, USA). The PCR conditions for the first step were 95C for 3 minutes, followed by 28 cycles of 95C for 30 seconds, and 65C for 30 seconds, 72C for 60 seconds; and finally 72C for 7 minutes. The first step PCR products were visualized by ethidium bromide under UV with 1% agarose gel electrophoresis. 1 L of the first PCR product was diluted 100-fold with distilled sterilized water and used as a template for step 2 PCR.

After the amplification of the exon 23 of the HLA-C locus, the HLA-C*03 alleles were amplified specifically in step 2. In step 2, the protocol can be flexibly used for two different purposes determination of zygosity and screening the allele HLA-C*03:02. For the differentiation of homozygous and heterozygous genotypes of the HLA-C*03:02 alleles, three PCR reactions were performed with three primer sets. Each PCR reaction mixture of 20 L contained 1 L of the step 1 PCR diluted product, 0.5 pM of each primer (Integrated DNA Technologies, Coralville, USA) and 10 L of GoTaq Green Master Mix 2x (Promega Corporation, Madison, USA). For the purpose of HLA-C*03:02 screening only, one PCR reaction with the primer set (HLAC0302F/HLAC3CR) was needed. Touchdown PCR cycles were used in the second PCR step to increase specificity: 95C for 3 minutes, followed by 5 cycles of 95C for 30 seconds, and 70C for 30 seconds, 72C for 30 seconds; 5 cycles of 95C for 30 seconds, 67C for 30 seconds, 72C for 30 seconds, 10 cycles of 95C for 30 seconds, 65C for 30 seconds, 72C for 30 seconds, 20 cycles of 95C for 30 seconds, 58C for 30 seconds, 72C for 30 seconds, and finally 72C for 7 minutes. The PCR products were visualized by ethidium bromide under UV with 1% agarose gel electrophoresis.

DNA sequences were determined by the PCR-SBT method using the BigDyeTM Terminator v3.1 Cycle Sequencing Kit (ThermoFisher Scientific, Waltham, USA) and an ABITM 3500 analyzer (Applied Biosystems, Massachusetts, USA). The primer sets and sequencing procedures have been previously described.14

The sensitivity and specificity of the AS-PCR protocol were determined using MedCalc v19.2.3 (MedCalc Software, Ostend, Belgium). Cohens Kappa coefficient for the comparison between the in-house protocol and the PCR-SBT method as well as the allele frequency was determined using SPSS 20 (Chicago, IL, USA). Raw data from direct sequencing were analyzed using Bioedit 7.0.5.3 (Informer Technologies, Inc).

The strategy for the HLA-C*03:02 allele detection is described in Figure 1. The first PCR step with the primer set HLACB1F/HLACB1R was performed to selectively amplify the exon 23 which is the most polymorphic region containing most of the SNPs of the HLA-C locus. Three primer sets were used in the second PCR to differentiate the HLA-C*03:02 allele from the other known HLA-C alleles in the Vietnamese population, especially the two highly homologous alleles HLA-C*03:03 and HLA-C*03:049. Results of the three parallel PCR reactions enabled the conclusion of either homozygous or heterozygous genotypes of the HLA-C*03:02 allele. Alternatively, only one PCR reaction with the primer set HLAC0302F/HLAC3CR is needed for the detection of HLA-C*03:02 carriers. The sequences of the primer sets designed for these purposes are shown in Table 1. Their binding sites are described in Figures 2 and 3.

Table 1 Sequences of Primer Sets Used for the Two PCR Steps

Figure 2 Binding sites of the primer set used in the step 1 PCR. (A) Forward primer HLACB1F: a mismatch (replacement of G with T) at the penultimate position of the 3 terminus is shown in grey. (B) Reverse primer HLACB1R. The reference sequences were obtained from https://www.ebi.ac.uk/ipd/imgt/hla/.17

Figure 3 Binding sites of the primer sets used in the step 2 PCR. (A) HLAC0302F has one mismatch (replacement of C with T) at the penultimate position of the 3 terminus; HLAC2CF has one mismatch (replacement of T with C) at the third position from the 3 terminus. The mismatches are highlighted in grey; (B) HLAC3CR and HLAC15CR have two different nucleotides (highlighted in grey) at the 3 terminus that ensure the specificity of the primers. The reference sequences were obtained from https://www.ebi.ac.uk/ipd/imgt/hla/.17

First, the AS-PCR protocol was tested on 10 samples of known genotypes. After the first PCR, a single band of 912 bp was obtained in all of the 10 samples (Figure 4A). After the second PCR with the primer set HLAC15CF/HLC15CR, a single band of 569 bp was obtained with 4 samples (numbered 4, 8, 9, 10) (Figure 4B). The PCR with the primer set HLAC2CF/HLAC3CR resulted in a single band of 241 bp with samples numbered 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 8, 9 (Figure 4C). The specific amplification of the HLA-C*03:02 allele with the primer set HLAC0302F/HLAC3CR resulted in a single band of 241 bp with samples numbered 1, 2, 3, and 4 (Figure 4D). The comparison in Table 2 shows a hundred-percent agreement.

Figure 4 The detection of the HLA-C*03:02 allele in 10 samples of known genotype. (A) Step 1: HLA-C exon 23 amplicon, 912 bp; (B) Step 2: amplicon from the primer set HLAC15CF and HLAC15CR, 569 bp; (C) Step 2 amplicon from the primer set HLAC2CF and HLAC3CR, 241 bp; (D) Step 2: amplicon from the primer set HLAC0302F and HLAC3CR, 241 bp. (*): allele number.

Table 2 AS-PCR Results of 10 Samples of Known Genotypes

This protocol was used to genotype 100 samples of unknown HLA-C genotype, of which, we detected seven samples of homozygous HLA-C*03:02 carriers, 36 heterozygous HLA-C*03:02 carriers, and 57 HLA-C*03:02-negative samples. For validation, we used PCR-SBT with all the 100 samples. The results of the protocol highly agreed with the SBT results (=0.98, p < 0.001). For specific detection of the HLA-C*03:02 allele, the PCR protocol had a sensitivity of 100% (95% CI: 91.6100%) and specificity of 98.3% (95% CI: 90.999.7%) (Table 3).

Table 3 Comparison of the AS-PCR Method with PCR-SBT

This protocol was applied to determine the frequency of the HLA-C*03:02 allele in 810 unrelated Vietnamese Kinh people, 14.2% of which were HLA-C*03:02 carriers, the allele frequency was 7.5% (Table 4).

Table 4 HLA-C*03:02 Distributions in Vietnamese Kinh People

The HLA-C gene is a polymorphic region of the human genome. According to the IPD-IMGT/HLA database, 6223 HLA-C alleles and 1540 distinct variant positions had been discovered.18 These SNPs are located mostly in the exon 23 region, and approximately one SNP is present every 2030 nucleotides.19 To date, few PCR-based methods for the specific detection of HLA-A or HLA-B alleles at the two-field classification have been published20,21 and there have been no reports on the detection protocol of HLA-C alleles in general or the specific detection of the HLA-C*03:02 allele.

Due to the polymorphic characteristic of the HLA-C gene, it is difficult to design specific primers for direct amplification of each allele of this locus, it is necessary to cluster the alleles before a specific detection of each target allele. The primer set in the first step PCR was designed for specific amplification of the exon 23 region of the HLA-C gene. A mismatch (replacement of G with T) was placed at the second nucleotide from the 3 terminus of the forward primer (HLACB1F) (Figure 2A) in order to avoid non-specific amplification of other class I HLA loci such as HLA-A, B, E, F, G.

This PCR protocol was customized for the Vietnamese population, with the 18 known HLA-C alleles.9 Therefore, an approach to differentiate the HLA-C*03:02 allele (presenting in 6.8% of the Vietnamese population9) from the other 17 alleles was designed. Three primer sets were used in the second PCR for differentiation purposes. The exon 23 sequences of HLA-C*03:02, *03:03, and *03:04 alleles are highly homologous. Moreover, they all have dinucleotide polymorphisms (at position 935936) that are different from those of the other 15 HLA-C alleles reported by Hoa et al.9 This is the favorable position for designing the reverse primer (HLAC3CR) which is specific for the three homologous alleles, and the reverse primer (HLAC15CR), which is specific for the other 15 HLA-C alleles (Figure 3B).

For the cluster of the three homologous alleles including HLA-C*03:02, *03:03 and *03:04, there are only two SNPs (at position 731 and 795) within the exon 23 sequence, that can be used to distinguish the HLA-C*03:02 allele from the other two alleles (Figure 3A). The SNP at position 731 was used to design the forward primer (HLAC2CF) which was specific to the HLA-C*03:03 and HLA-C*03:04 alleles and the forward primer (HLAC0302F) which was specific to the HLA-C*03:02 allele. The PCR reaction using these primers resulted in a longer PCR product which is more favorable for detection by electrophoresis. Additionally, a mismatch (replacement of C with T) was placed at the penultimate position of the 3 terminus of the HLAC0302F primer and another mismatch (replacement of T with C) was placed at the third nucleotide from the 3 terminus of the HLAC2CF primer (Figure 3A). The protocol was tested on 10 samples of known genotypes, resulting in a hundred-percent agreement, indicating the efficacy of the PCR strategy mentioned above. The validation by PCR-SBT of 100 samples of unknown genotypes showed a sensitivity of 100%, assuring no false negatives, which means that no patients at risk for SCARs due to the HLA-C*03:02 genotype would be missed if this test is applied in clinical settings.

The HLA-B*58:01 allele has been reported to be a predominant allele,22 for this reason, most of HLA-B*58:01 specific genotyping methods only aim to determine the presence or absence of the allele in the genotype. Meanwhile, there has not been any report on the difference between homozygous and heterozygous genotypes of the HLA-C*03:02 allele in the association with allopurinol-induced SCARs. Therefore, we established a flexible protocol that can either determine the presence or absence of the HLA-C*03:02 allele in the genotype or determine zygosity. For the first aim, only one primer set (HLAC0302F/HLAC3CR) is needed in the second PCR. This protocol thus can be used for both research and clinical purposes.

A limitation of this protocol is time-consuming in comparison with other methods such as real-time PCR which requires approximately two hours.23 Nevertheless, the total time for the test including DNA extraction is four hours, enabling to return genotyping results much earlier than sequencing by an outsourcing unit. In addition, this protocol does not require specially trained workers or expensive reagents and equipment; thus, it can be used for screening patients at risk of allopurinol-induced SCARs in local hospitals in developing countries. The total cost for reagents in this method is less than $2, while the costs for high-throughput methods are usually higher.23

Another limitation of this PCR-based protocol is the probability of false-positive results due to cross-contamination during electrophoresis or preparation of DNA template. The validation on 100 samples showed one sample with false-positive result (Table 3). For a screening test, sensitivity is more important than specificity. However, a validation on a larger sample size is needed for a comprehensive evaluation of the protocol.

To date, there has been a report on the HLA-C*03:02 frequency in 170 unrelated Vietnamese Kinh people in Hanoi (the North of Vietnam).9 The present study on 810 unrelated Vietnamese Kinh people evenly distributed in the North, the South and the Centre of Vietnam had a significantly bigger and more representative sample of Vietnamese population. The allele frequency (AF) of the HLA-C*03:02 allele in this study was 7.5%, higher than the AF in the North of Vietnam (6.8%). The HLA-C*03:02 AF of the Vietnamese Kinh people in our study was the same as that of the Korean people (7.42%)24 and the Thai people (7.77%),16 more than that of the Chinese people (5.9%)25 and much more than that of the Japanese people (0.6%),26 the Italian people (0.6%),27 the Swiss people (0.540.72%),28 the African American people (0.975%)29 or the European American people (0.358%).30 The frequency of HLA-C*03:02 carriers was notably high (14.2%), which was similar to that of the Thai people (14.68%).16 These comparisons indicate a diversity of the HLA-C*03:02 allele distribution among various populations and explain a significant association of the HLA-C*03:02 allele and the risk of allopurinol-induced SCARs in certain Asian populations with high HLA-C*03:02 AF such as the Koreans.8 This AS-PCR protocol can be used for the HLA-C*03:02 allele detection in not only Vietnamese people but some other Asian populations with similar genetic characteristics as well.

AF, allele frequency; AS, allele specific; DRESS, drug reactions with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms; HLA, human leukocyte antigen; SBT, sequencing-based typing; SCAR, severe cutaneous adverse drug reactions; SJS, Steven-Johnson syndrome; SNP, Single nucleotide polymorphism; SSO, sequence specific oligonucleotide; TEN, toxic epidermal necrolysis.

The authors would like to thank Dr. Duong Tuan Linh (National Institute of Nutrition) for his valuable supports and comments on the research.

All authors made substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; took part in drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; agreed to submit to the current journal; gave final approval of the version to be published; and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

This study was funded by Vietnam Ministry of Health, Grant# 4694/QD-BYT.

The authors report no conflicts of interest for this work.

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21. Sita Virakul JN, Kupatawintu P, Kangwanshiratada O, et al. Detection of HLA-B*5801 by in-house PCR-SSP. Proceedings of the 11th Graduate Research Conference; 2010; Thailand: Khon Kaen University.

22. Saksit N, Nakkam N, Konyoung P, et al. Comparison between the HLA-B(*)58: 01 allele and single-nucleotide polymorphisms in chromosome 6 for prediction of allopurinol-induced severe cutaneous adverse reactions. J Immunol Res. 2017;2017:Dec:2738784. doi:10.1155/2017/2738784

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24. In JW, Roh EY, Oh S, et al. Allele and haplotype frequencies of human leukocyte antigen-A, -B, -C, -DRB1, and -DQB1 from sequence-based DNA typing data in Koreans. Ann Lab Med. 2015;35(4):429435. doi:10.3343/alm.2015.35.4.429

25. Shen J, Guo T, Wang T. HLA-B*07, HLA-DRB1*07, HLA-DRB1*12, and HLA-C*03:02 strongly associate with BMI: data from 1.3 million healthy chinese adults. Diabetes. 2018;67(5):861871. doi:10.2337/db17-0852

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[Full text] A Novel Allele-Specific PCR Protocol for the Detection of the HLA-C*03 | TACG - Dove Medical Press

Sports and Fitness Genomics and Pharmacogenomics Market Size And Forecast (2020-2026)| With Post Impact Of Covid-19 By Top Leading Players- GeneDx,…

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The final report will add the analysis of the Impact of Covid-19 in this report Sports and Fitness Genomics and Pharmacogenomics industry.

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The global Sports and Fitness Genomics and Pharmacogenomics market is segmented by company, region (country), by Type, and by Application. Players, stakeholders, and other participants in the global Sports and Fitness Genomics and Pharmacogenomics market will be able to gain the upper hand as they use the report as a powerful resource. The segmental analysis focuses on revenue and forecast by region (country), by Type, and by Application for the period 2020-2026.

Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers

North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)

Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)

Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)

South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia etc.)

Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)

Research objectives:

To study and analyze the global Sports and Fitness Genomics and Pharmacogenomics market size by key regions/countries, product type and application, history data from 2013 to 2017, and forecast to 2026.

To understand the structure of Sports and Fitness Genomics and Pharmacogenomics market by identifying its various sub segments.

Focuses on the key global Sports and Fitness Genomics and Pharmacogenomics players, to define, describe and analyze the value, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis and development plans in next few years.

To analyze the Sports and Fitness Genomics and Pharmacogenomics with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market.

To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks).

To project the size of Sports and Fitness Genomics and Pharmacogenomics submarkets, with respect to key regions (along with their respective key countries).

To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches and acquisitions in the market.

To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.

The report lists the major players in the regions and their respective market share on the basis of global revenue. It also explains their strategic moves in the past few years, investments in product innovation, and changes in leadership to stay ahead in the competition. This will give the reader an edge over others as a well-informed decision can be made looking at the holistic picture of the market.

Table of Contents: Sports and Fitness Genomics and Pharmacogenomics Market

Chapter 1: Overview of Sports and Fitness Genomics and Pharmacogenomics Market

Chapter 2: Global Market Status and Forecast by Regions

Chapter 3: Global Market Status and Forecast by Types

Chapter 4: Global Market Status and Forecast by Downstream Industry

Chapter 5: Market Driving Factor Analysis

Chapter 6: Market Competition Status by Major Manufacturers

Chapter 7: Major Manufacturers Introduction and Market Data

Chapter 8: Upstream and Downstream Market Analysis

Chapter 9: Cost and Gross Margin Analysis

Chapter 10: Marketing Status Analysis

Chapter 11: Market Report Conclusion

Chapter 12: Research Methodology and Reference

Key questions answered in this report

What will the market size be in 2026 and what will the growth rate be?

What are the key market trends?

What is driving this market?

What are the challenges to market growth?

Who are the key vendors in this market space?

What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?

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About Us:

Reports and Markets is not just another company in this domain but is a part of a veteran group called Algoro Research Consultants Pvt. Ltd. It offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for a wide range of sectors both for the government and private agencies all across the world. The database of the company is updated on a daily basis. Our database contains a variety of industry verticals that include: Food Beverage, Automotive, Chemicals and Energy, IT & Telecom, Consumer, Healthcare, and many more. Each and every report goes through the appropriate research methodology, Checked from the professionals and analysts.

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Sports and Fitness Genomics and Pharmacogenomics Market Size And Forecast (2020-2026)| With Post Impact Of Covid-19 By Top Leading Players- GeneDx,...

Molecular Diagnostics Market by Services, Technology, Overview, Component, Industry Revenue, Cost Structure Analysis and Forecast to 2027 KSU | The…

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Global Molecular Diagnostics Market: Global Size, Trends, Competitive, Historical & Forecast Analysis, 2021-2027. Increasing number of chronic & infectious diseases and technological advancements are key drivers for Global Molecular Diagnostics Market.

In its latest report on Molecular Diagnostics Market provides a concise analysis of the recent market trends. The report further includes statistics, market forecasts and revenue estimations, which in addition highlights its status in the competitive domain as well as expansion trends adopted by major industry players.

The term molecular diagnostics refers to clinical tests used to identify a disease or the susceptibility to a disease, by analyzing DNA / RNA or their proteins, in humans or in the case of infections, in microbes. Its scope includes the clinical testing devices, as well as their reagents and supplies that are utilized in hospitals, clinics, commercial laboratories, reference laboratories and research institutes to detect cells and proteins for the purpose of diagnosis and monitoring disease. Molecular diagnostics play an important role in infectious disease testing as they provide effective and fast results. So, during the study of Global Molecular Diagnostics Market, we have considered global molecular diagnostics products and consumables to analyze the market.

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Global molecular diagnostics market report is segmented on the basis of product, technology, application and end user. Based on product global molecular diagnostics market is classified as instruments, reagents and services. Based upon technology, global molecular diagnostics market is classified as PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), INAAT (Isothermal Nucleic Acid Amplification Technology), DNA sequencing, hybridization, microarray and others. Based upon applications, global molecular diagnostics market is classified as infectious diseases, chronic diseases, genetic testing, screening and pharmacogenomics. Based upon end user type, global molecular diagnostics market is classified as hospitals, laboratories and research institutes.

The regions covered in this global molecular diagnostics market report are North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World. On the basis of country level, market of Global Molecular Diagnostics is sub divided into U.S., Mexico, Canada, U.K., France, Germany, Italy, China, Japan, India, South East Asia, GCC, Africa, etc.

Global molecular diagnostics market report covers prominent play Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Abbott, Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Alere, Inc., Dako, Bayer AG, Hologic, Inc., Danaher, Sysmex Corporation, Novartis AG, Johnson & Johnson, Qiagen N.V., Becton Dickinson and Company, Roche Diagnostics, BioMerieux SA, Cepheid, Quidel Corporation, Debiopharm Group, Onkogen Diagnostik Sistemler Ltd., Myriad Genetics, Genomic Health, Luminex, GenMark Diagnostics, Biocartis Group and others.

Increasing number of chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, pulmonary respiratory diseases, arthritis have led to the growth of the molecular diagnostics market. Moreover, rise in awareness among people, demand for early diagnostics of diseases, improving healthcare facilities and technological advancements are majorly responsible for the continuous growth of the molecular diagnostics market. According to World Health Organization, infectious diseases kill over 17 million people a year. However, high costs and regulatory hurdles in approval process are the major restrains of the Global Molecular Diagnostics Market. Nonetheless, untapped market and technological advancements may generate new opportunities in forecast period.

North America dominates the market with highest market share due to increase in funding by governments and different organizations, rise in number of cases of infectious and chronic diseases and increase in awareness of personalized medicines. In U.S, every year, around 1.7 million Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) are encountered, resulting in 99,000 deaths and costing an estimated USD 20 billion. Availability of robust healthcare infrastructure in this region has boosted the demand for molecular diagnostics

Europe is the second largest market for global molecular diagnostics. Increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, increasing healthcare expenditure, growing awareness among people, extensive research and development activities are majorly responsible on growth of Global Molecular Diagnostics Market in Europe. According to National Statistics, total current healthcare expenditure of UK in 2016 was around 253.9 billion USD. The rising demand for point-of-care and rapid testing, primarily blood glucose testing, and the strong government support to promote early disease detection to prevent ill-health are some of the major factors driving the molecular diagnostics market in UK.

Asia Pacific region is showing robust growth in Global Molecular Diagnostics Market due to increasing population, rising disposable income among the population, high incidences of chronic diseases and infectious diseases and improving healthcare infrastructure. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the critical cause of disease burden and mortality in the Asia Pacific region, claiming 55% of total life in the South East Asia region each year and 75% in the Western Pacific region.

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By Product

By Technology

By Application

By End User

By Region

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Molecular Diagnostics Market by Services, Technology, Overview, Component, Industry Revenue, Cost Structure Analysis and Forecast to 2027 KSU | The...

Arizona Heart Association’s 2021 Heart Ball is digital event this year – Arizona Daily Star

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Southern Arizona 2021 Heart Ball Co-chairs Joseph Alpert, M.D. and Qin Chen, PhD., and other supporters hope to raise at least $50,000 at the digital experience (tucsonheartball.heart.org), which is free and open to the public at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13.

By Loni NanniniSpecial to the Arizona Daily Star

The American Heart Association is giving a ball and you dont need a tux or a gown or even an invitation to attend.

The Southern Arizona 2021 Heart Ball has gone digital and for the first time ever, it is open to the community for free online at tucsonheartball.heart.org at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13.

Human beings are pack animals ... we love being together in groups. We will miss seeing folks face-to-face, but with the pandemic, that is not happening this year, said Dr. Joseph Alpert, co-chair of the event with his wife, Qin Chen. This digital event does present an opportunity for people around the country whether they are in Alaska or Portland, Maine to hear about all that the American Heart Association is doing and to participate in the online auction, so we are hoping people outside of Tucson will get involved. Hopefully this will help bring folks together across the country.

The couple are long-time supporters of the association, according to Alpert, a professor of medicine at the University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center. He and Chen, the director of pharmacogenomics and professor of pharmacology at the UA who also performs cardiac research, received grant funding from the association for research early in their careers.

The associations grants often serve as seed funding to enable researchers to qualify for larger grants from the National Institutes of Health and other organizations, said Krystal Webb, communications director for the heart association in Tucson.

Continued here:
Arizona Heart Association's 2021 Heart Ball is digital event this year - Arizona Daily Star

Pandemic Lessons in Improving the Medical System – The New York Times

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One of the most dramatic examples was the abrupt substitution of telemedicine for in-person visits to the doctors office. Although telemedicine technology is decades old, the pandemic demonstrated how convenient and effective it can be for many routine medical problems, Dr. Navathe said.

Feb. 10, 2021, 7:15 a.m. ET

Telemedicine is more efficient and often just as effective as an office visit. It saves time and effort for patients, especially those with limited mobility or who live in remote places. It lowers administrative costs for doctors and leaves more room in office schedules for patients whose care requires in-person visits.

Even more important, the pandemic could force a reckoning with the environmental and behavioral issues that result increasingly in prominent health risks in this country. We need to stop blaming genetics for every ailment and focus more on preventable causes of poor health like a bad diet and inactivity.

Consider, for example, the health status of those who have been most vulnerable to sickness and death from Covid-19. Aside from advanced age, about which we can do nothing, its been people with conditions that are often largely preventable: obesity, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease and smoking. Yet most physicians are unable to influence the behaviors that foster these health-robbing conditions.

Many people need help to make better choices for themselves, Dr. Navathe said. But the professionals who could be most helpful, like dietitians, physical trainers and behavioral counselors, are rarely covered by health insurance. The time is long overdue for Medicare and Medicaid, along with private insurers, to broaden their coverage, which can save both health and money in the long run.

Policy wonks should also pay more attention to widespread environmental risks to health. Too many Americans live in areas where healthful food is limited and prohibitively expensive and where the built environment offers little or no opportunity to exercise safely.

Individuals, too, have a role to play. The pandemic has fostered an opportunity for patients to take on a more active role in their care, Dr. Shrank said in an interview.

Originally posted here:
Pandemic Lessons in Improving the Medical System - The New York Times