U.S. Supreme Court in the civil rights era: Deliberative Democracy and its educative institutional role, 1950s–1970s

This article examines the U.S. Supreme Court’s lesser-known educative role as an egalitarian institution within a broader deliberative democratic process. Scholars have argued that the Court’s long asserted power of judicial review, especially in the equal protection and civil rights context, has been an over-reach of the judicial branch’s constitutional authority and responsibilities. Normative and empirical critiques have been centered on the aims of judicial review, and the challenges it poses in American political life. A core issue surrounding these critiques is that Justices are appointed not elected, and thus undermine the principle of majority rule in the U.S. constitutional democratic order. Although these critiques are legitimate in terms of claims about unelected Supreme Court Justices’ seemingly discretionary powers over elected legislative bodies, and the uncertain policy implications of judicial pronouncements on the broader society, there is, nevertheless, a positive application of judicial review as a tool Justices use as part of their educative role overcoming the so-called “counter-majoritarian difficulty.” Through a close reading of oral arguments in Brown vs. Board of Education (1954) and San Antonio vs. Rodriguez (1973)—two landmark cases invoking the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the federal Constitution—the article shows how appointed Justices adjudicate individual cases on appeal and attempt to educate (through an argumentative, reason-based and question-centered process) citizenlitigants and their legal representatives about the importance of equality, fairness and ethical responsibility even prior to rendering final decisions on policy controversies that have broader national social, political and economic implications

Carlos Figueroa on State Power and Democracy: Before and During the Presidency of George W. Bush. By Andrew Kolin. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. 251pp.

A review of: State Power and Democracy: Before and During the Presidency of George W. Bush. By Andrew Kolin. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. 251pp

Rice and Beans with a Side of Queer: Socio-Legal Developments in the Cuban LGBTQ+ Community

Over the last century, the LGBTQ+ community has occupied a peculiar space in Cuba that has both resisted and acclimated to the ever-changing sociopolitical dynamics on the Island. This Article examines the Cuban queer community’s socio-legal history in pre- and post-Revolution Cuba along with its tumultuous synthesis into U.S. culture

The impact of structural capital on the firm Innovativeness, the Galician Northern Portugal automotive industries reality

The intellectual capital is increasingly considered a major issue on the management and organization research and a source of competitive advantage. Although there are different models and approaches that try to identify the effect of intellectual capital on firm performance, there’s, also a lack of evidence and consensus. Based on that evidence, this paper focuses on the influence of the structural capital on the product- process and management innovativeness of the firm. A global model including the variables used in the previous literature is used and we establishes hypotheses for testing this model and use statistic technique to estimate the parameters of the model in a sample. To do so, we use a survey from 68 firms working on the auto components sector, established in the Northern Spain and Northern Portugal. We found firstly, that innovativeness has two main dimensions, perfectly differentiated, the product-process innovation and the management innovation; secondly that the structural capital dimensions influences differently each type of innovation capacity (innovativeness). We also concluded that the structural capital of the automotive firms based on the euro region Galicia (Spain) Northern Portugal influences positive and directly the management innovativeness. These results highlight the importance of the structural capital as well as highlight the main dimensions that influence the innovativeness, and more broadly, the value of intellectual capital as a competitive advantage in contemporary time. Moreover, point out the different character of product-process and management innovativeness.

Evidence for a stimulatory effect of high potassium diet on renal kallikrein

Evidence for stimulatory effect of high potassium diet on renal kallikrein. Considerable evidence indicates that the connecting tubule cells, a type of cell of the distal nephron which seems to participate on potassium secretion, may be the place where renal kallikrein is synthetized. As potassium secretion and kallikrein synthesis may occur in the same cells, we studied the effect of high potassium diet on renal kallikrein production. The kallikrein containing cells from rats fed a normal and high potassium diet were evaluated using a combination of morphometric analysis, conventional electron microscopy, and ultrastructural immunocytochemistry. High potassium diet produced hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the kallikrein containing cells. Hyperplasia was sustained by an increased number of immunoreactive cells/mm2 (151 ± 14 vs. 86.4 ± 12, P < 0.01), an increased number of binucleated immunoreactive cells/mm2 (11.90 ± 2.1 vs. 3.77 ± 0.17, P < 0.005), and by the presence of mitosis. Cell hypertrophy was sustained by an increased cross–sectional area of immunoreactive cells (µ2) (320.4 ± 21 vs. 104.5 ± 6.1, P < 0.001), by an increased area of basal plasma membrane infoldings, by an hypertrophy of the components of the Golgi complex, hypertrophy of the components of the rough endoplasmic reticulum, and by a larger number of secretory–like vesicles containing kallikrein. The rats fed with high potassium diet had higher values on urinary kallikrein excretion–amidase activity (3.70 ± 0.51 vs. 2.01 ± 0.37 units/day, P < 0.02), higher values on potassium excretion (18.8 ± 1.7 vs. 1.31 ± 0.1 mmol/day, P < 0.001), and higher urinary volume (51.5 ± 5.3 vs. 12.2 ± 1.6 ml/day, P < 0.001). The increased size of the kallikrein containing cells correlated with kallikrein excretion (r = 0.7013, P < 0.002). These results suggest that high potassium diet stimulates the kallikrein containing cells of the distal nephron producing hyperplasia and hypertrophy. Taken the ultrastructural changes together with the increased urinary excretion of kallikrein, the results suggest that a high potassium diet increased the synthesis and secretion of kallikrein. The nature of this stimulatory effect cannot be elucidated from the present study

A fluorometric method for the assay of protein kinase activity

Protein kinases constitute one of the largest protein families in nature. Current methods to assay their activity involve the use of radioactive ATP or very expensive reagents. In this work, we developed a highly sensitive, cost-effective and straightforward protocol to measure protein kinase activity using a microplate layout. Released ADP is converted into NAD+, which is quantified by its fluorescent properties after alkaline treatment (linear range 0–10 nmol ADP). To validate our protocol, we characterized a recombinant calcium-dependent protein kinase from potato. Overall, this tool represents a critical step forward in the functional characterization of protein kinases.Fil: Rojas, Bruno Ezequiel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Santin, Franco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular "Dr. Héctor N. Torres"; ArgentinaFil: Ulloa, Rita Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular "Dr. Héctor N. Torres"; ArgentinaFil: Iglesias, Alberto Alvaro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Figueroa, Carlos Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral; Argentin

Objeto virtual de aprendizaje (OVA) como apoyo a docentes y a estudiantes del grado segundo para alcanzar competencias básicas de lectoescritura en la institución educativa municipal Agustín Agualongo.

En el presente proyecto de grado, se analizó y diseñó un Objeto Virtual de Aprendizaje (OVA) para apoyar el proceso de enseñanza de Lectoescritura del grado segundo de primaria de la Institución Educativa Municipal Agustín Agualongo. Para lo anterior se realizó una investigación junto a las docentes y estudiantes que participan en el área de Lengua Castellana con el fin de indagar sobre el plan de aula y los estándares curriculares establecidos por el Ministerio de Educación Nacional, escogiendo así las temáticas que se desarrollaron en el OVA. También se tuvo en cuenta los requerimientos en cuanto a hardware y software necesarios para la implementación del objeto, facilitando de esta manera la posterior ejecución del mismo. Por último, se realizó una prueba del OVA dentro del aula de clase y mediante una encuesta se recolectó los resultados que reflejan su usabilidad y funcionamiento. Durante la ejecución del proyecto se observó a los estudiantes motivados, con ganas de aprender y ánimos de participar en el uso del OVA; también se dio a conocer a las docentes del área de Lengua Castellana, los beneficios educativos que ofrecen las TIC cuando se involucran en los procesos pedagógicos, generando nuevos espacios y maneras de enseñar

Adulting 101: Know Your Audience

During the winter of 2017, I began to see a common topic on library programming group threads centering around ideas such as teaching basic life skills to young and new adults that may not have been taught at home or school. Around the same time, Clara Piazzola, the library’s young adult assistant, came to me to share an idea that was buzzing around her library school discussion boards. She told me about a program idea that would teach young people necessary skills to help them survive in the grownup world. Talk about a coincidence! I gave her the go ahead, and she began planning. Clara came up with the name, Adulting 101, and a six-month program outline. Planning each session, we chose to invite local speakers for a few of the topics that warranted professional facilitators. Flyers were displayed in the library and mailed to local bulletin boards and radio stations. Adulting 101 was posted to the library website, social media, and electronic calendars. We reserved the room, bought snacks, and were ready to launch. The event post on our library’s Facebook page started a ripple effect that took us by surprise. We had Facebook likes and shares from tens of thousands of viewers. People were emailing and phoning our City Administrator, Library Director, and the library for more information. The local television station saw the post, called for an interview, and covered the first program. There were radio interviews. We had electronic inquiries and phone calls from across the country and then some. The American Library Association’s Programming Librarian asked for an article (Lucas, 2017). Adulting 101 was even mentioned on the morning talk show LiveKellyandRyan (Adulting 101 for Millenials [sic], 2017)

Analysis of Traveler Characteristics by Mode Choice in HOT Corridors

This research examined travelers who have a vast array of travel options, including some rather unique ones: HOV3+ in an HOV lane, HOV2+ in an HOV lane off-peak, HOV2 plus a $2.00 toll in an HOV lane during the peak, and casual carpooling (slugging). Travelers using all these modes were surveyed in 2003, and significant differences between the groups of travelers were observed, providing some understanding of travel behavior when faced with these travel options. In the study, particular effort was spent on examining the characteristics of travelers who choose to travel as HOV2 carpools during peak periods and pay a$2.00 toll. This group of travelers was found to contain significantly more well-educated females with high household incomes on school related trips. The proximity of private schools near the terminus of the HOV lane probably contributed significantly to this result. Due to the array of mode choices available to these travelers, surveying all these groups was challenging and, therefore, the methodology employed in survey development and administration is also detailed in this paper