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In contemporary human rights politics, much international effort is invested in securing reparative settlements in the aftermath of genocide and mass atrocities. This article details a broad comparative research project in which we seek to map the respective paths of 47 post-genocide and mass atrocity reparations claims. Based on the findings of this study, using a mixed-methods approach, we highlight some potential obstacles within claims processes and demonstrate the importance of resource mobilization for reparative success. In particular, this article advances sociological understanding of the importance of momentum in resource mobilization as a means of carrying a reparations movement toward successful transitional justice outcomes.

PURPOSE: Multi-slice ungated double inversion recovery has been proposed as an alternative time-efficient and effective sequence for black-blood carotid imaging. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the comparative repeatability of this multi-contrast sequence with respect to a single slice double inversion recovery prepared gated sequence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten healthy volunteers and three patients with Doppler ultrasound defined carotid artery stenosis >30% were recruited. T₁-weighted (T₁W) and T₂W fast spin-echo (FSE) images were acquired centered at the carotid bifurcation with and without cardiac gating. Repeat imaging was performed without patient repositioning to determine the variations in vessel wall measurement and signal intensity due to gating, while negating variations as a result of slice misalignment and anatomical displacement relative to the receiver coil. The distributions and the repeatability of lumen area, vessel wall area, signal and contrast-to-noise ratio (SNR/CNR) of the vessel wall and adjacent muscle were reported. RESULTS: The T₁W ungated sequence generally had comparable wall SNR/CNR with respect to the gated sequence, however the muscle SNR was lower (P = 0.013). The T₂W ungated multi-slice sequence had lower SNR/CNR than the gated single slice sequence (P < 0.001), but with equivalent effective wall CNR (P = 0.735). Vessel area measurements using the gated/ungated sequences were equivalent. Ungated sequences had better repeatability in SNR/CNR than the gated sequences with borderline and statistically significant differences. The repeatability of T₂W wall area measurement was better using the ungated sequences (P = 0.02), and the repeatability of the remaining vessel area measurements were equivalent. CONCLUSIONS: Ungated sequences can achieve comparable SNR/CNR and equivalent carotid vessel area measurements than gated sequences with improved repeatability of SNR/CNR. Ungated sequences are good alternatives of gated sequences for vessel area measurement and plaque composition quantification. ; This research is partly supported by ARTreat European Union Frame Project 7 and the National Institute of Health Research, Cambridge Biomedical Research Center grant.

Thomas F Gibbons,1 Jody C Noe,1 Andrew T Patterson,2 Brittany L Lenz,2 Thomas M Beachkofsky3159th Medical Wing Science and Technology, Clinical Investigations and Research Support, San Antonio, TX, USA; 2Department of Dermatology, 59th Medical Wing, San Antonio, TX, USA; 3Department of Dermatology, 6th Medical Group, Tampa, FL, USACorrespondence: Thomas M BeachkofskyDepartment of Dermatology, MacDill AFB, Tampa, FL 33621, USATel +1 813 827 9379Email thomas.m.beachkofsky.mil@mail.milBackground: New military members undergo a highly-regimented 7-week training course during which trainees live and work within the same group of approximately 50 subjects for nearly 24 hours a day. This creates an optimal environment for assessing the impact of communal living on the collective skin microbiome.Purpose: The objective of this pilot study was to investigate dynamic changes of the skin microbiome in basic military trainees (BMT), in light of the unique environmental influences faced by this population.Patients and methods: We evaluated collective changes in the skin microbiome of normal healthy adult basic trainees in response to communal living and universal Group A Strep prophylaxis with penicillin over the course of their initial 7-week training course. Samples from 10 flights of trainees were collected by swabbing upon arrival at Lackland AFB for their training (week 0) which is prior to prophylaxis with penicillin, at the 4 week point, and at the conclusion of their 7-week course of basic military training. Three separate high-throughput sequencing platforms and three bioinformatic pipeline analysis tools were utilized to assess the data.Results: At all three time points we found that the top three bacterial genus identified were Propionibacterium, Staphylococcus, and Corynebacterium. We detected a community membership difference between the initial week 0 samples and the week 4 and 7 samples. A strong inverse correlation between Propionibacterium and Staphylococcus was noted with Propionibacterium being high at week 0 and much lower at weeks 4 and 7; conversely, Staphylococcus was low at week 0 and higher at weeks 4 and 7, this relationship was noted in both the individual and collective specimens.Conclusion: The collective dermatologic microbiome in the military trainee population examined exhibited a relative increase in Staphylococcus and Corynebacterium abundance coupled with a relative decrease in Propionibacterium abundance in this observational pilot study. Additional studies are needed to further assess the causal impact of communal living and widespread penicillin chemoprophylaxis.Keywords: metagenomics, 16S rRNA, prophylaxis, bacteria, penicillin