Election Reform: Politics and Policy

Election Reform: Politics and Policy is the definitive work on the manner in which policymakers responded to the crisis that emerged from the 2000 presidential election. Editors Daniel Palazzolo and James Ceaser address two fundamental questions: How did the states and Congress respond to the problems in election law and administration that became apparent in the 2000 election? What factors explain the variety of ways in which different states responded? The book includes a theoretical framework for explaining election reform, an account of the Help America Vote Act, and in-depth studies of election law reform in eleven selected states. Anyone interested in the election crisis of 2000 and in the lessons learned from a major transformation of our electoral institutions will find this book essential reading. The book also contributes to the academic literature on policy innovation in the United States.https://scholarship.richmond.edu/bookshelf/1143/thumbnail.jp

The haemoglobin regeneration potential of fermented and unfermented Telfaira occidentalis and Gnetum africanum leaves in iron deficient albino rats

The effect of 10% supplementation of fermented and unfermented Telfaira occidentalis and Gnetum africanum leaves for 21 days on haemoglobin-iron, haematological parameters and serum ferritin was investigated to determined if the leaves could replenish haemoglobin in iron deficient rats. Iron deficiency significantly (p<0.05) decreased the relative weight gain, haemoglobin-iron, serum ferritin, haemoglobin (Hb), and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), when compared to the iron sufficient control rats. Rats fed with T. occidentalis had a significantly (p<0.05) increased serum ferritin compared to those fed with G. africanum leaves. The levels of haematological parameters of rats in the iron deficient group were not significantly (p>0.05) different from the iron sufficient and leaves supplemented groups. However, haemoglobin concentration of rats on iron sufficient diet, fermented and unfermented T. occidentalis leaves and those treated with FeSO4 were significantly (p<0.05) higher than that of rats in the iron deficient, fermented and unfermented G. africanum groups respectively. Percentage change in Haemoglobin-iron was lower for rats supplemented with the fermented forms of both leaves. This study shows that T. occidentalis has a significant (p<0.05) haemoglobin regeneration potential compared to G. africanum, and fermentation did not significantly (p>0.05) enhance the haemoglobin regeneration potential of both leaves.© 2015 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved.Keywords: Haematological parameters, nutritional anaemia, serum ferritin, vegetable

‘Dominant ethnicity’ and the ‘ethnic-civic’ dichotomy in the work of A. D. Smith

This article considers the way in which the work of Anthony Smith has helped to structure debates surrounding the role of ethnicity in present-day nations. Two major lines of enquiry are evident here. First, the contemporary role of dominant ethnic groups within 'their' nations and second, the interplay between ethnic and civic elements in nationalist argument. The two processes are related, but maintain elements of distinctiveness. Smith's major contribution to the dominant ethnicity debate has been to disembed ethnicity from the ideologically-charged and/or anglo-centric discourse of ethnic relations and to place it in historical context, thereby opening up space for dominant group ethnicity to be considered as a distinct phenomenon. This said, Smith's work does not adequately account for the vicissitudes of dominant ethnicity in the contemporary West. Building on the classical works of Hans Kohn and Friedrich Meinecke, Anthony Smith has also made a seminal contribution to the debate on civic and ethnic forms of national identity and nationalist ideology. As well as freeing this debate from the strong normative overtones which it has often carried, he has continued to insist that the terms civic and ethnic should be treated as an ideal-typical distinction rather than a scheme of classification

Genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in a UK university identifies dynamics of transmission

AbstractUnderstanding SARS-CoV-2 transmission in higher education settings is important to limit spread between students, and into at-risk populations. In this study, we sequenced 482 SARS-CoV-2 isolates from the University of Cambridge from 5 October to 6 December 2020. We perform a detailed phylogenetic comparison with 972 isolates from the surrounding community, complemented with epidemiological and contact tracing data, to determine transmission dynamics. We observe limited viral introductions into the university; the majority of student cases were linked to a single genetic cluster, likely following social gatherings at a venue outside the university. We identify considerable onward transmission associated with student accommodation and courses; this was effectively contained using local infection control measures and following a national lockdown. Transmission clusters were largely segregated within the university or the community. Our study highlights key determinants of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and effective interventions in a higher education setting that will inform public health policy during pandemics.</jats:p

A genealogy of anti-americanism [Les intellectuels européens face à l'Amérique]

Abstract : "European anti-Americanism did not begin with the Kyoto Protocol or war in Iraq. Political scientist James Ceaser offers a short history of this deep-rooted ideology, from colonial-era theories about biological "degeneracy" to the 20th century thought of Heidegger and Sartre".Ceaser James W. A genealogy of anti-americanism [Les intellectuels européens face à l'Amérique]. In: Revue juridique de l'Ouest, 2004-2. pp. 249-263

A genealogy of anti-americanism (Traducción de Gladys Portuondo)

Según el autor, el antiamericanismo descansa en la idea singular de que algo asociado con los Estados Unidos, algo en el propio corazón de la vida americana, resulta profundamente equivocado y amenazante para el resto del mundo. El artículo penetra en las fuentes históricas de tal idea convertida de algún modo en “paradigma” de la cultura occidental (abarcando no sólo a Europa, sino también a todas las Américas) desde el siglo XX, y muestra su vínculo con la fi losofía europea a partir de la Ilustración, así como con la teoría racista y el eurocentrismo de algunos filósofos europeos (Nietzsche y Heidegger, especialmente). El propósito del artículo es develar las peligrosas consecuencias de esta idea que en la actualidad vienen manifestándose, sin que se adviertan claramente sus orí[email protected] to the author, anti-Americanism rests on the singular idea that something associated with the United States, something at the core of American life, is deeply wrong and threatening to the rest of the world. The paper approaches to the historical sources of such idea, which has been changed into a west culture’s “paradigm”, in some way (embracing not only Europe, but all the Americas too) since the 20th. century. The paper shows the relation between this idea and the typical eurocentrism of some european philosophers (Nietzsche and Heidegger). The target is to clear the development of this idea and its dangerous consequences at the present time