Chapter 2 From the Heritage of African American Slavery to Modern Civil Rights Protection

Promises of justice and equality made in the U.S. Constitution, numerous Amendments, and decisions of the Supreme Court are hallmarks of American civil rights. Yet the realities of inequality remain facts of modern life for too many Native Americans, African Americans, and Latino Americans, even though state-mandated racial segregation has been outlawed for years. Women still face a variety of forms of discrimination—some subtle and others more overt. There remain many laws that treat people differently because of sexual orientation. People with disabilities are supposed to be protected by a variety of statutes, but many of these policies remain unfulfilled promises. These are just some of the many challenges of civil rights that persist in a nation that proudly points to the words above the entrance to the U.S. Supreme Court that read "Equal Justice Under Law." This text is for current and future public service professionals —whether they are in government agencies, in nonprofit organizations that provide social services for government, or contractors who operate as state actors—who increasingly serve diverse communities with a range of complex challenges, while working and managing within organizations that, fortunately, are themselves more diverse than ever before. For those who work and serve in such settings, civil rights is not an abstract academic study, but a critically important and very practical fact of daily life. This book may also be used on civil rights law, policy, and public administration courses, and each chapter ends with a section on ‘Issues for Policy and Practice’ to guide an examination of key public policy hurdles in the fight for civil rights as well as the implications for public service practice.　 Through an engaging exploration of edited court cases, legislation, and speeches, the reader is encouraged to think critically about civil rights law and policy pertaining to African Americans, Native Americans, Latinos/Latinas, gender, sexual orientation, and disabilities, to learn what civil rights require, but also to come to a more empathetic understanding of how different groups of people experience civil rights and the unique challenges they face

Canadian Refugee Services: The Challenges of Network Operations

The context within which refugee service providers work shapes and constrains their efforts. Those legal, political, fiscal, and managerial influences in the Canadian context have tended to force the creation of refugee service networks. This article considers some of the factors that have brought about this network approach to refugee service delivery, but, most importantly, it seeks to understand what the implications of that development are for service providers and the communities they serve. This article argues that service networks can be effective and eficient in meeting refugee needs, but it is essential to be aware of the special challenges posed by network management. Those challenges not only concern how service providers work together and deal with refugees and other immigrants, but also alert them to the impact they can have inside refugee service NGOs.Le contexte dans lequel les prestataires de services aux réfugiés travaillent, façonne et restreint leurs efforts. Ces influences légales, politiques, fiscales et administratives dans le contexte canadien, ont eu tendance à pousser vers la création de réseaux de services aux réfugiés. Cet article étudie certains des facteurs qui ont amené cette approche de prestation de services aux réfugiés par réseau. Mais, avant tout, il cherche à comprendre quelles sont les implications de ce développement pour, d'une part, les prestataires de services et, de l'autre, pour les communautés qu'ils servent. L'article soutient que les réseaux de services peuvent être utiles et efficaces pour répondre aux besoins des réfugiés, mais qu'il faut absolument être conscient des défis particuliers que comporte la gestion de ces réseaux. Ces défis ne concernent pas seulement la façon dont les prestataires de services travaillent de concert et s'occupent des réfugiés et d'autres immigrés. Il est aussi important d'être vigilant quant à l'impact qu'ils peuvent avoir au sein des ONG spécialisées dans les services aux réfugiés

Can museum egg specimens be used for proteomic analyses?

Extent: 5p.Background: Mass spectrometry and proteomic analyses have become powerful tools for the analysis of proteins and peptides. Investigation of proteins contained in the various layers of the avian eggshell has focused entirely on domesticated species. It has been widely assumed that this existing research can inform the study of wild bird species despite the fact that the vast majority of the diversity in avian species (~95%) exists outside the Orders to which domestic and poultry species belong. Museum collections offer a potentially valuable source of material for studying composition of wild avian eggshell matrix proteins. We used museum and fresh eggshells of common quails Coturnix coturnix to compare the protein composition of their organic matrices. Four eggs of domestic chickens were analysed simultaneously as a control for comparison to the fresh and museum quail eggs. The determination of the proteins was carried out using enzymatic cleavage followed by high-performance mass spectrometry. Results: We found that some of the expected key eggshell proteins (3 out of 11) were not present in the samples of museum quail egg. These proteins were either entirely absent from the museum eggs or the technique was unable to detect them. There was no pattern in the absent proteins in the sense of protein function or where they are located within the eggshell. Conclusion: We conclude it is likely that such studies on museum specimens using a proteomic approach will be limited in coverage of proteins and may, therefore, be misleading.Steven J Portugal, Helen J Cooper, Cleidiane G Zampronio, Laine L Wallace, Phillip Casse

Statins and Exercise Training Response in Heart Failure Patients: Insights From HF-ACTION.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess for a treatment interaction between statin use and exercise training (ET) response. BACKGROUND: Recent data suggest that statins may attenuate ET response, but limited data exist in patients with heart failure (HF). METHODS: HF-ACTION (Heart Failure: A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise Training) was a randomized trial of 2,331 patients with chronic HF with ejection fraction ≤35% who were randomized to usual care with or without ET. We evaluated whether there was a treatment interaction between statins and ET response for the change in quality of life and aerobic capacity (peak oxygen consumption and 6-min walk distance) from baseline to 3 months. We also assessed for a treatment interaction among atorvastatin, simvastatin, and pravastatin and change in these endpoints with ET. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed for each endpoint, adjusting for baseline covariates. RESULTS: Of 2,331 patients in the HF-ACTION trial, 1,353 (58%) were prescribed statins at baseline. Patients treated with statins were more likely to be older men with ischemic HF etiology but had similar use of renin angiotensin system blockers and beta-blockers. There was no evidence of a treatment interaction between statin use and ET on changes in quality of life or exercise capacity, nor was there evidence of differential association between statin type and ET response for these endpoints (all p values \u3e0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In a large chronic HF cohort, there was no evidence of a treatment interaction between statin use and short-term change in aerobic capacity and quality of life with ET. These findings contrast with recent reports of an attenuation in ET response with statins in a different population, highlighting the need for future prospective studies. (Exercise Training Program to Improve Clinical Outcomes in Individuals With Congestive Heart Failure; NCT00047437)

Molecular Analysis of Twist1 and FGF Receptors in a Rabbit Model of Craniosynostosis: Likely Exclusion as the Loci of Origin

Craniosynostosis is the premature fusion of the cranial vault sutures. We have previously described a colony of rabbits with a heritable pattern of nonsyndromic, coronal suture synostosis; however, the underlying genetic defect remains unknown. We now report a molecular analysis to determine if four genes implicated in human craniosynostosis, TWIST1 and fibroblast growth factor receptors 1–3 (FGFR1–3), could be the loci of the causative mutation in this unique rabbit model. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified within the Twist1, FGFR1, and FGFR2 genes, and the allelic patterns of these silent mutations were examined in 22 craniosynostotic rabbits. SNP analysis of the Twist1, FGFR1, and FGFR2 genes indicated that none were the locus of origin of the craniosynostotic phenotype. In addition, no structural mutations were identified by direct sequence analysis of Twist1 and FGFR3 cDNAs. These data indicate that the causative locus for heritable craniosynostosis in this rabbit model is not within the Twist1, FGFR1, and FGFR2 genes. Although a locus in intronic or flanking sequences of FGFR3 remains possible, no direct structural mutation was identified for FGFR3