Heffron v. International Society for Krishna Consciousness Inc.: A Restrictive Constitutional View of the Proselytizing Rights of Religious Organizations

The persistent efforts of religious organizations to reach their public have consistently been met with governmental limitation due to the often conflicting interests of public order, and free speech and expression. Heffron v. International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Inc. represents the Court\u27s latest redefinition of the extent of permissible limitations upon the activities of these groups. The author examines the decision in light of the traditional criteria for permissible time, place, and manner restrictions upon free speech and evaluates the Court\u27s implementation of these restrictions with respect to the activities of the Krishna group. The impact of the decision upon the limitations involved and upon similar future litigation is also explored

The Constitutional Issues Surrounding the Science-Religion Conflict in Public Schools: The Anti-Evolution Controversy

Since the infamous Scopes trial the matter of the constitutional validity of the anti-evolution laws has plagued both legal scholars and school administrators. The courts have generally invalidated legislation which bans outright the teaching of evolution in public schools, but with the advent of the balanced treatment acts, a revival of this litigation has begun. The author examines the constitutional analysis utilized by the courts in dealing with the anti-evolution and balanced treatment acts and provides an historical perspective of the first amendment to question the Court\u27s response to the issue

METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND DEVICES RELATING TO FORCE CONTROL SURGICAL SYSTEMS

The various embodiments herein relate to robotic surgical systems and devices that use force and/or torque sensors to measure forces applied at various components of the system or device. Certain implementations include robotic surgical devices having one or more force/torque sensors that detect or measure one or more forces applied at or on one or more arms. Other embodiments relate to systems having a robotic surgical device that has one or more sensors and an external controller that has one or more motors such that the sensors transmit information that is used at the controller to actuate the motors to provide haptic feedback to a user

The Grizzly, December 2, 1988

No Longer Stoned by Administration: Charges Dropped • 145 Chickens of Chadwick Chain Check In • Letter: Cross Country Earns Kudos • Lantern Thrives at Fifty-five • Peace Hosts a Challenge • Happy Hanukkah! • Happenin\u27 Holidays • Hallelujah to Handel\u27s Messiah Performance • Hermann and Murphy Take Grizzly Reins • Crossroads Debuts • Ursinus Hoopsters\u27 Clutch Plays Lift Bears\u27 to Fast Start • \u27Mers Sunk by W.C. • Ursinus\u27 Lady Bears Riding 4-Game Win Streak • Ursinus Gymnasts Open Season at Navy • Bravo! Bravo! • Speth Sets Better Limit • Dean Nace Leads MBA Race • Outstanding Alumnae Address Whitians • Maintenance Maintains Ursinus • Final Exam Schedulehttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1225/thumbnail.jp

Companions of Stars: From Other Stars to Brown Dwarfs to Planets: The Discovery of the First Methane Brown Dwarf

The discovery of the first methane brown dwarf provides a framework for describing the important advances in both fundamental physics and astrophysics that are due to the study of companions of stars. I present a few highlights of the history of this subject along with details of the discovery of the brown dwarf Gliese 229B. The nature of companions of stars is discussed with an attempt to avoid biases induced by anthropocentric nomenclature. With the newer types of remote reconnaissance of nearby stars and their systems of companions, an exciting and perhaps even more profound set of contributions to science is within reach in the near future. This includes an exploration of the diversity of planets in the universe and perhaps soon the first solid evidence for biological activity outside our Solar System.Comment: 31 pages, 13 figure

Can Social Policies Improve Health? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 38 Randomized Trials.

Policy Points Social policies might not only improve economic well-being, but also health. Health policy experts have therefore advocated for investments in social policies both to improve population health and potentially reduce health system costs. Since the 1960s, a large number of social policies have been experimentally evaluated in the United States. Some of these experiments include health outcomes, providing a unique opportunity to inform evidence-based policymaking. Our comprehensive review and meta-analysis of these experiments find suggestive evidence of health benefits associated with investments in early life, income support, and health insurance interventions. However, most studies were underpowered to detect health outcomes. CONTEXT: Insurers and health care providers are investing heavily in nonmedical social interventions in an effort to improve health and potentially reduce health care costs. METHODS: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of all known randomized social experiments in the United States that included health outcomes. We reviewed 5,880 papers, reports, and data sources, ultimately including 61 publications from 38 randomized social experiments. After synthesizing the main findings narratively, we conducted risk of bias analyses, power analyses, and random-effects meta-analyses where possible. Finally, we used multivariate regressions to determine which study characteristics were associated with statistically significant improvements in health outcomes. FINDINGS: The risk of bias was low in 17 studies, moderate in 11, and high in 33. Of the 451 parameter estimates reported, 77% were underpowered to detect health outcomes. Among adequately powered parameters, 49% demonstrated a significant health improvement, 44% had no effect on health, and 7% were associated with significant worsening of health. In meta-analyses, early life and education interventions were associated with a reduction in smoking (odds ratio [OR] = 0.92, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.86-0.99). Income maintenance and health insurance interventions were associated with significant improvements in self-rated health (OR = 1.20, 95% CI 1.06-1.36, and OR = 1.38, 95% CI 1.10-1.73, respectively), whereas some welfare-to-work interventions had a negative impact on self-rated health (OR = 0.77, 95% CI 0.66-0.90). Housing and neighborhood trials had no effect on the outcomes included in the meta-analyses. A positive effect of the trial on its primary socioeconomic outcome was associated with higher odds of reporting health improvements. We found evidence of publication bias for studies with null findings. CONCLUSIONS: Early life, income, and health insurance interventions have the potential to improve health. However, many of the included studies were underpowered to detect health effects and were at high or moderate risk of bias. Future social policy experiments should be better designed to measure the association between interventions and health outcomes

Underground testing : name-altering practices as probes in electronic music

Name-altering practices are common in many creative fields – pen names in literature, stage names in the performing arts, aliases in music. More than just reflecting artistic habits or responding to the need for distinctive brands, these practices can also serve as test devices to probe, validate, and guide the artists’ active participation in a cultural movement. At the same time, they constitute a powerful probe to negotiate the boundaries of a subculture, especially when its features are threatened by appropriation from the mass-oriented culture. Drawing evidence from electronic music, a field where name-altering practices proliferate, we outline dynamics of pseudonymity, polyonymy, and anonymity that surround the use of aliases. We argue that name-altering practices are both a tool artists use to probe the creative environment and a device to recursively put one’s creative participation to the test. In the context of creative subcultures, name-altering practices constitute a subtle but effective form of underground testing

Association of APOE polymorphism with chronic kidney disease in a nationally representative sample: a Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) Genetic Study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Apolipoprotein E polymorphisms (<it>APOE</it>) have been associated with lowered glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) with e2 allele conferring risk and e4 providing protection. However, few data are available in non-European ethnic groups or in a population-based cohort.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The authors analyzed 5,583 individuals from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) to determine association with estimated GFR by the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation and low-GFR cases. Low-GFR cases were defined as GFR <75 ml/min/1.73 m²; additionally, GFR was analyzed continuously.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In univariate analysis, the e4 allele was negatively associated with low-GFR cases in non-Hispanic whites, odds ratio (OR): 0.76, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.60, 0.97. In whites, there was a significant association between increasing <it>APOE </it>score (indicating greater number of e2 alleles) and higher prevalence of low-GFR cases (OR: 1.21, 95%CI: 1.01, 1.45). Analysis of continuous GFR in whites found the e4 allele was associated with higher levels of continuous GFR (β-coefficient: 2.57 ml/min/1.73 m², 95%CI: 0.005, 5.14); in non-Hispanic blacks the e2 allele was associated with lower levels of continuous GFR (β-coefficient: -3.73 ml/min/1.73 m², 95%CI: -6.61, -0.84). <it>APOE </it>e2 and e4 alleles were rare and not associated with low-GFR cases or continuous GFR in Mexican Americans.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In conclusion, the authors observed a weak association between the <it>APOE </it>e4 allele and low-GFR cases and continuous GFR in non-Hispanic whites, and the <it>APOE </it>e2 allele and continuous GFR in non-Hispanic blacks, but found no association with either measure of kidney function in Mexican Americans. Larger studies including multiethnic groups are needed to determine the significance of this association.</p