A Historical Review of Affirmative Action and the Interpretation of Its Legislative Intent by the Supreme Court

In Part I, I will discuss the history of pre-affirmative action programs. This involves an analysis of the original intent of the Fourteenth Amendment, its related remedial legislation, as well as several of the New Deal Acts prohibiting employment discrimination. Part II will analyze the advent of affirmative action, from its inception with the 1957 and 1960 Civil Rights Acts, and trace its development through Executive Orders 12250 and 12259, which constitute the last major expansion in affirmative action doctrine. Part III will examine the period between 1978 and 1991, where the Supreme Court\u27s attempts to find a consistent interpretation of the Equal Protection Clause and the level of scrutiny applicable to affirmative action programs will be addressed. Part IV will examine Adarand, and the reasoning behind the decision. Finally, I will conclude with the direction courts should take in future cases involving affirmative action programs

Nuclear Structure Calculations with Low-Momentum Potentials in a Model Space Truncation Approach

We have calculated the ground-state energy of the doubly magic nuclei 4He, 16O and 40Ca within the framework of the Goldstone expansion starting from various modern nucleon-nucleon potentials. The short-range repulsion of these potentials has been renormalized by constructing a low-momentum potential V-low-k. We have studied the connection between the cutoff momemtum Lambda and the size of the harmonic oscillator space employed in the calculations. We have found a fast convergence of the results with a limited number of oscillator quanta.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figures, to be published on Physical Review

pp32 (ANP32A) Expression Inhibits Pancreatic Cancer Cell Growth and Induces Gemcitabine Resistance by Disrupting HuR Binding to mRNAs

The expression of protein phosphatase 32 (PP32, ANP32A) is low in poorly differentiated pancreatic cancers and is linked to the levels of HuR (ELAV1), a predictive marker for gemcitabine response. In pancreatic cancer cells, exogenous overexpression of pp32 inhibited cell growth, supporting its long-recognized role as a tumor suppressor in pancreatic cancer. In chemotherapeutic sensitivity screening assays, cells overexpressing pp32 were selectively resistant to the nucleoside analogs gemcitabine and cytarabine (ARA-C), but were sensitized to 5-fluorouracil; conversely, silencing pp32 in pancreatic cancer cells enhanced gemcitabine sensitivity. The cytoplasmic levels of pp32 increased after cancer cells are treated with certain stressors, including gemcitabine. pp32 overexpression reduced the association of HuR with the mRNA encoding the gemcitabine-metabolizing enzyme deoxycytidine kinase (dCK), causing a significant reduction in dCK protein levels. Similarly, ectopic pp32 expression caused a reduction in HuR binding of mRNAs encoding tumor-promoting proteins (e.g., VEGF and HuR), while silencing pp32 dramatically enhanced the binding of these mRNA targets. Low pp32 nuclear expression correlated with high-grade tumors and the presence of lymph node metastasis, as compared to patients' tumors with high nuclear pp32 expression. Although pp32 expression levels did not enhance the predictive power of cytoplasmic HuR status, nuclear pp32 levels and cytoplasmic HuR levels associated significantly in patient samples. Thus, we provide novel evidence that the tumor suppressor function of pp32 can be attributed to its ability to disrupt HuR binding to target mRNAs encoding key proteins for cancer cell survival and drug efficacy

The depression in visual impairment trial (DEPVIT): trial design and protocol

<b>Background</b> The prevalence of depression in people with a visual disability is high but screening for depression and referral for treatment is not yet an integral part of visual rehabilitation service provision. One reason for this may be that there is no good evidence about the effectiveness of treatments in this patient group. This study is the first to evaluate the effect of depression treatments on people with a visual impairment and co morbid depression.<p></p> <b>Methods/design</b> The study is an exploratory, multicentre, individually randomised waiting list controlled trial. Participants will be randomised to receive Problem Solving Therapy (PST), a ‘referral to the GP’ requesting treatment according to the NICE’s ‘stepped care’ recommendations or the waiting list arm of the trial. The primary outcome measure is change (from randomisation) in depressive symptoms as measured by the Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI-II) at 6 months. Secondary outcomes include change in depressive symptoms at 3 months, change in visual function as measured with the near vision subscale of the VFQ-48 and 7 item NEI-VFQ at 3 and 6 months, change in generic health related quality of life (EQ5D), the costs associated with PST, estimates of incremental cost effectiveness, and recruitment rate estimation.<p></p> <b>Discussion</b> Depression is prevalent in people with disabling visual impairment. This exploratory study will establish depression screening and referral for treatment in visual rehabilitation clinics in the UK. It will be the first to explore the efficacy of PST and the effectiveness of NICE’s ‘stepped care’ approach to the treatment of depression in people with a visual impairment.<p></p&gt

Nuclear Mass Dependence of Chaotic Dynamics in Ginocchio Model

The chaotic dynamics in nuclear collective motion is studied in the framework of a schematic shell model which has only monopole and quadrupole degrees of freedom. The model is shown to reproduce the experimentally observed global trend toward less chaotic motion in heavier nuclei. The relation between current approach and the earlier studies with bosonic models is discussed.Comment: 11 Page REVTeX file, 2 postscript figures, uuencode

Universal Predictions for Statistical Nuclear Correlations

We explore the behavior of collective nuclear excitations under a multi-parameter deformation of the Hamiltonian. The Hamiltonian matrix elements have the form $P(|H_{ij}|)\propto 1/\sqrt{|H_{ij}|}\exp(-|H_{ij}|/V)$, with a parametric correlation of the type $\log \langle H(x)H(y)\rangle\propto -|x-y|$. The studies are done in both the regular and chaotic regimes of the Hamiltonian. Model independent predictions for a wide variety of correlation functions and distributions which depend on wavefunctions and energies are found from parametric random matrix theory and are compared to the nuclear excitations. We find that our universal predictions are observed in the nuclear states. Being a multi-parameter theory, we consider general paths in parameter space and find that universality can be effected by the topology of the parameter space. Specifically, Berry's phase can modify short distance correlations, breaking certain universal predictions.Comment: Latex file + 12 postscript figure

Effect of rehabilitation worker input on visual function outcomes in individuals with low vision: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Visual Rehabilitation Officers help people with a visual impairment maintain their independence. This intervention adopts a flexible, goal-centred approach, which may include training in mobility, use of optical and non-optical aids, and performance of activities of daily living. Although Visual Rehabilitation Officers are an integral part of the low vision service in the United Kingdom, evidence that they are effective is lacking. The purpose of this exploratory trial is to estimate the impact of a Visual Rehabilitation Officer on self-reported visual function, psychosocial and quality-of-life outcomes in individuals with low vision. METHODS/DESIGN: In this exploratory, assessor-masked, parallel group, randomised controlled trial, participants will be allocated either to receive home visits from a Visual Rehabilitation Officer (n = 30) or to a waiting list control group (n = 30) in a 1:1 ratio. Adult volunteers with a visual impairment, who have been identified as needing rehabilitation officer input by a social worker, will take part. Those with an urgent need for a Visual Rehabilitation Officer or who have a cognitive impairment will be excluded. The primary outcome measure will be self-reported visual function (48-item Veterans Affairs Low Vision Visual Functioning Questionnaire). Secondary outcome measures will include psychological and quality-of-life metrics: the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS), the Adjustment to Age-related Visual Loss Scale (AVL-12), the Standardised Health-related Quality of Life Questionnaire (EQ-5D) and the UCLA Loneliness Scale. The interviewer collecting the outcomes will be masked to the group allocations. The analysis will be undertaken on a complete case and intention-to-treat basis. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) will be applied to follow-up questionnaire scores, with the baseline score as a covariate. DISCUSSION: This trial is expected to provide robust effect size estimates of the intervention effect. The data will be used to design a large-scale randomised controlled trial to evaluate fully the Visual Rehabilitation Officer intervention. A rigorous evaluation of Rehabilitation Officer input is vital to direct a future low vision rehabilitation strategy and to help direct government resources. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered with ( ISRCTN44807874 ) on 9 March 2015