Constitutional Law - A New Test for Political Firings

The question of whether a government employee may be dismissed solely because of his political party affiliation is of continuing importance to some twelve and a half million employees at all levels of government. The right to associate with the political party of one\u27s choice is protected by the first and fourteenth amendments to the Constitution of the United States. Therefore, dismissal of a government employee solely because he is a Democrat or Republican infringes on his first amendment right to free political association. Although lower-echelon employees are protected by civil service restrictions on patronage removals, most higher level employees are not

Salvaging the North Carolina Teacher-Cyberbullying Statute

In 2012, the North Carolina General Assembly criminalized student Internet activity intended to “torment” school employees. This Comment contends that the legislation violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments. It violates the First Amendment because it creates both subject matter and viewpoint limitations on speech. It violates the Fourteenth Amendment because the requirement that the student must intend to “torment” a school employee creates an impermissibly vague standard. This Comment suggests that the North Carolina General Assembly could correct the constitutional deficiencies in the legislation through revisions that limit punishment to “true threats.” Such revisions would reign in the broad coverage of the statute, while still protecting school employees and school systems from the most serious and disruptive online student misconduct

Constitutional Law - A New Test for Political Firings

The question of whether a government employee may be dismissed solely because of his political party affiliation is of continuing importance to some twelve and a half million employees at all levels of government. The right to associate with the political party of one\u27s choice is protected by the first and fourteenth amendments to the Constitution of the United States. Therefore, dismissal of a government employee solely because he is a Democrat or Republican infringes on his first amendment right to free political association. Although lower-echelon employees are protected by civil service restrictions on patronage removals, most higher level employees are not

Salvaging the North Carolina Teacher-Cyberbullying Statute

In 2012, the North Carolina General Assembly criminalized student Internet activity intended to “torment” school employees. This Comment contends that the legislation violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments. It violates the First Amendment because it creates both subject matter and viewpoint limitations on speech. It violates the Fourteenth Amendment because the requirement that the student must intend to “torment” a school employee creates an impermissibly vague standard. This Comment suggests that the North Carolina General Assembly could correct the constitutional deficiencies in the legislation through revisions that limit punishment to “true threats.” Such revisions would reign in the broad coverage of the statute, while still protecting school employees and school systems from the most serious and disruptive online student misconduct

The Theory of Planned Behavior and the Earned Income Tax Credit

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) seeks to reduce poverty and provide the resources necessary for an individual to become self-sufficient. The EITC achieves this annually by lifting millions of households above the poverty level through income supplementation. However, recent evidence suggests that the long-term upward economic mobility provided by the EITC in practice is limited. To investigate the factors associated with achieving this financial independence, this study utilized the Theory of Planned Behavior to determine if (a) attitudes—as measured by time preference and self-esteem, (b) subjective norms—as measured by education, parents’ poverty level or work status, and religiosity, and/or (c) perceived behavioral control—as measured by self-efficacy (perceived effectiveness in accomplishing tasks) were significant in moving beyond qualification standards of the EITC. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY79), the EITC utilization pattern of a sample of 178 individuals was investigated. Results reaffirmed the economic advantages of marriage, suggesting that, by protecting and support healthy marriages, financial therapists can actively contribute to improved financial outcomes. Results also indicated that individuals with a high degree of mastery (feeling in control) were more likely to experience economic improvement, as measured through movement above EITC qualification standards. This suggests that financial therapists should work to facilitate growth in personal mastery as a part of helping clients reach their financial goals

Mesonephric-like adenocarcinoma of the ovary with co-existent endometriosis: A case report and review of the literature

© 2020 The Authors Introduction: Mesonephric-like adenocarcinoma (MLA) is a rare malignant gynecologic neoplasm occurring in the uterine corpus and ovary. The morphological and immunohistochemical characteristics of MLA closely resemble that of cervical mesonephric adenocarcinomas, but whether they share a common histogenesis remains unclear. Two main theories for histogenesis of MLAs include the origination of these neoplasms from mesonephric remnants, as is the case for cervical mesonephric adenocarcinoma, versus the differentiation along a mesonephric pathway from Mullerian lesions. Case: A 67-year-old presented after a right salpingo-oophorectomy for a complex ovarian mass revealed a mesonephric-like adenocarcinoma of the ovary and endometriosis. She underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy, pelvic lymphadenectomy, and infra-colic omentectomy, and diagnosed with Stage IA mesonephric-like adenocarcinoma of the ovary. At 18 months post-operatively, the patient developed flank and abdominal pain and was found to have multiple sites of recurrent disease. She was referred to medical oncology for chemotherapy as she was not a candidate for surgical cytoreduction. Discussion: This case demonstrates the aggressive nature of ovarian MLA and the need for a multidisciplinary approach when determining the treatment. In addition, this case provides further evidence to support the theory that at least a subset of MLAs arises from a Mullerian lesion which then differentiates down a mesonephric pathway

Rumen and Serum Metabolomes in Response to Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue Seed and Isoflavone Supplementation in Beef Steers

Fescue toxicosis impacts beef cattle production via reductions in weight gain and muscle development. Isoflavone supplementation has displayed potential for mitigating these effects. The objective of the current study was to evaluate isoflavone supplementation with fescue seed consumption on rumen and serum metabolomes. Angus steers (n = 36) were allocated randomly in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments including endophyte-infected (E+) or endophyte-free (E−) tall fescue seed, with (P+) or without (P−) isoflavones. Steers were provided a basal diet with fescue seed for 21 days, while isoflavones were orally administered daily. Following the trial, blood and rumen fluid were collected for metabolite analysis. Metabolites were extracted and then analyzed by UPLC-MS. The MAVEN program was implemented to identify metabolites for MetaboAnalyst 4.0 and SAS 9.4 statistical analysis. Seven differentially abundant metabolites were identified in serum by isoflavone treatment, and eleven metabolites in the rumen due to seed type (p \u3c 0.05). Pathways affected by treatments were related to amino acid and nucleic acid metabolism in both rumen fluid and serum (p \u3c 0.05). Therefore, metabolism was altered by fescue seed in the rumen; however, isoflavones altered metabolism systemically to potentially mitigate detrimental effects of seed and improve animal performance