La participación ciudadana. Algunos apuntes a partir del Barómetro Social de España

At the level of proclaimed principles, one of the hallmarks of Western democracy is public participation in political, economic and cultural life. In practice, however, the daily management of these areas is provided by professional politicians, transnational corporations and media oligopolies. This paper seeks to collect in a broad sense the forms of citizen participation in the field of politics. While indirect participation through the electoral process has been remarkable in the last three decades, direct intervention in the public sphere is very limited, except for a more active social minority or, in exceptional cases, of collective mobilization. Both the data from the Social Barometer of Spain as well as quantitative and qualitative surveys of public opinion suggest that we live more in a technocratic or plutocratic society rather than a democratic one. The political model established in Spain in recent decades provides an ambivalent institutional framework for public participation: on the one hand, it affirms the right of participation and sets out some concrete ways that did not exist previously; on the other, the emphasis on delegation (representation mechanisms) imposes restrictions on direct participation in public affairs.En el nivel de los principios proclamados, una de las señas de identidad de las democracias occidentales es la participación de la población en la vida política, económica y cultural. En la práctica, sin embargo, la gestión cotidiana de esas esferas corre a cargo de profesionales de la política, corporaciones transnacionales y oligopolios mediáticos. El presente texto trata de recoger las formas de participación de la ciudadanía en el ámbito de la política en un sentido amplio. Si bien la participación indirecta, a través de procesos electorales, ha sido notable durante las tres últimas décadas, la intervención directa en la esfera pública es muy limitada, salvo para una minoría social más activa o en casos excepcionales de movilización colectiva. Tanto los datos aportados por el Barómetro social de España como los sondeos cuantitativos y cualitativos de opinión pública apuntan a que vivimos en una sociedad tecnocrática o plutocrática, más que democrática. El modelo político establecido en España en las últimas décadas ofrece un marco institucional ambivalente para la participación ciudadana: por un lado, se afirma el derecho a la participación y se establecen algunos cauces concretos que antes no existían; por otro, el énfasis en la delegación (mecanismos de representación) impone unos límites precisos a la participación directa en los asuntos públicos

Act Creating a Board of Regents for Morehead State Normal School

The legislative act approved by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky to establish a Board of Regents for Morehead State Normal School on March 22, 1924. Published in the 1924 Acts of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/college_histories/1241/thumbnail.jp

Establishment of State Normal School

Act establishing two new Normal Schools in Kentucky on March 8, 1922. Published in the 1922 Acts of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/college_histories/1242/thumbnail.jp

Optimising power transmission options for marine energy converter farms

AbstractThis paper introduces a techno-economic analysis framework to assess different transmission options for marine energy converter (MEC) farms. On the technical front, the feasibility of the transmission options considering supply quality constraints and the optimal sizing of reactive power compensation to allow maximum real power transfer capability in the subsea transmission cable have been considered. The economic viability of different transmission options are measured based on component costs and the costs associated with the transmission losses. A case study has been presented in the paper, which demonstrates the application of this techno-economic analysis framework on a range of MEC farm sizes and distances from the shore. The results characterise the performance of different transmission system options with respect to three key design parameters – distance to shore, array power and transmission voltage – and provide guidance for system design

A proposed staging system for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive loss of upper and lower motor neurons, with a median survival of 2–3 years. Although various phenotypic and research diagnostic classification systems exist and several prognostic models have been generated, there is no staging system. Staging criteria for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis would help to provide a universal and objective measure of disease progression with benefits for patient care, resource allocation, research classifications and clinical trial design. We therefore sought to define easily identified clinical milestones that could be shown to occur at specific points in the disease course, reflect disease progression and impact prognosis and treatment. A tertiary referral centre clinical database was analysed, consisting of 1471 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis seen between 1993 and 2007. Milestones were defined as symptom onset (functional involvement by weakness, wasting, spasticity, dysarthria or dysphagia of one central nervous system region defined as bulbar, upper limb, lower limb or diaphragmatic), diagnosis, functional involvement of a second region, functional involvement of a third region, needing gastrostomy and non-invasive ventilation. Milestone timings were standardized as proportions of time elapsed through the disease course using information from patients who had died by dividing time to a milestone by disease duration. Milestones occurred at predictable proportions of the disease course. Diagnosis occurred at 35% through the disease course, involvement of a second region at 38%, a third region at 61%, need for gastrostomy at 77% and need for non-invasive ventilation at 80%. We therefore propose a simple staging system for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Stage 1: symptom onset (involvement of first region); Stage 2A: diagnosis; Stage 2B: involvement of second region; Stage 3: involvement of third region; Stage 4A: need for gastrostomy; and Stage 4B: need for non-invasive ventilation. Validation of this staging system will require further studies in other populations, in population registers and in other clinic databases. The standardized times to milestones may well vary between different studies and populations, although the stages themselves and their meanings are likely to remain unchanged

Hiding the Bodies: Geographic Repression in Higher Educational Space

This article critiques the way that universities have acquired and developed campus space since World War II. Prompted by the need to increase student entry, British universities grew exponentially, with a demand to expand the campus in order to provide more teaching space and student accommodation. This article looks at the side effects of this expansion by providing a case study that demonstrates that land acquisition can have a deleterious effect on local residents. Using theories from urban studies, postmodern geography and cultural theory, this article presents the case study through a transdisciplinary lens, offering an original analysis of the heritage of an inherited cemetery

Investigating falls in adults with intellectual disability living in community settings and their experiences of post-fall care services: Protocol for a prospective observational cohort study

Background: Falls among older adults with intellectual disability (ID) are recognised as a serious health problem potentially resulting in reduced health-related quality of life and premature placement in residential care. However there are limited studies that have investigated this problem and thus falls rates among older adults with ID remain uncertain. Furthermore, people with ID rely heavily on familial and professional care support to address health problems, such as after having a fall. No studies have explored the post-fall care that people with ID receive. Method: This research will be carried out in two phases using a convergent mixed methods design. The aim of Phase 1 is to estimate the falls rate by prospectively observing a cohort of older adults (≥ 35 years) with ID (n = 90) for six months. Phase 1 will be conducted according to STROBE guidelines. In Phase 2, participants from Phase 1 who have experienced a fall(s) will be asked to participate in a semi-structured interview to explore their post-fall experience. Discussion: This study will determine the rate of falls among older adults with ID living in community based settings, which will assist to identify the extent of this problem. Data collected from the study will also aid in understanding the circumstance of falls and related falls risk factors in this cohort. This will include exploring any barriers that older adults with ID may encounter when seeking or undertaking recommended post-fall care advice. Findings from this research will potentially inform future development of falls prevention services for older adults with ID. This study has been approved by the University Human Research Ethics Committee. Trial registration: The protocol for this study is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry (ACTRN12615000926538) on 7 September 2015. www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=368990&isReview=tru

The translation of articles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into education legislation:the narrowing of Article 12 as a consequence of translation

This paper is concerned with the inclusion, exclusion and reshaping of articles within the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) as they are translated into English education legislation. The CRC comprises 54 articles aimed at outlining rights and freedoms for children and was ratified by the United Kingdom (UK) government in 1991. The paper builds on a previous publication by the authors which highlighted how the mobilisation of articles within the CRC into professional practice undergoes multiple translations. This paper takes an in‐depth and critical look at the first stage of the translation process in which articles are mobilised from the CRC into national legislation. Specifically, the paper presents findings from a documentary analysis which explored the translation of principles pertaining to Article 12 of the CRC into English Education Regulations, Acts and Statutory Guidance for schools. Findings demonstrate that the reshaping of the article within education legislation strongly reflects the government's priorities and agendas. The study raises new insights into the need to establish processes to ensure the full mobilisation of Article 12 and questions whether specific principles pertaining to the article could or should be incorporated into national legislative systems.Output Status: Forthcoming/Available Onlin