The Embodied Nature of Representation: Reframing Best Candidate Narratives in Supreme Court Nominations

This Essay explores how discourse surrounding Supreme Court nominations reflects broader societal debates about merit, representation, and inclusion. Through analysis of the controversy surrounding President Biden’s commitment to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court, this piece examines three interconnected themes: the embodied nature of representation, the relationship between diversity and judicial legitimacy, and the problematic nature of “best candidate” narratives. It challenges traditional conceptions of merit in judicial nominations and argues for a more nuanced understanding that recognizes the value of diverse lived experiences on the bench

Jove i participatiu : requisits del nou model de transmissió cultural

La imitació com a mètode d'aprenentatge humà mai ha estat un procés simple. L'evolució cultural de l'espècie humana que d'ella es deriva segueix arrelada a una actitud selectiva -els models escollits es caracteritzen per ser individus amb prestigi-, però sembla ser que aquesta reputació ja no recau en els mateixos de sempre. Mitjançant un estudi de camp amb els Tsimane' -un grup ètnic bolivià-, s'ha vist que el lideratge ha passat a mans dels més joves, tenint aquests un alt nivell educatiu i una forta vinculació amb el treball comunitari.La imitación como método de aprendizaje humano nunca ha sido un proceso simple. La evolución cultural de la especie humana que de ella se deriva sigue arraigada a una actitud selectiva -los modelos escogidos se caracterizan por ser individuos con prestigio-, pero parece ser que esa reputación ya no recae en los mismos de siempre. Mediante un estudio de campo con los Tsimane -un grupo étnico boliviano-, se ha visto que el liderazgo ha pasado a manos de los más jóvenes, teniendo éstos un alto nivel educativo y una fuerte vinculación con el trabajo comunitario.Imitation as a method of human learning has never been a simple process. The cultural evolution of the human species based on this method continues to be established in a selective attitude - the selected models are characterized for being prestigious individuals. However, it seems to be that this prestige is no longer conferred to the same models as before. A field study with the Tsimane' - an ethnic group in Bolivia-, has demonstrated that the leadership has moved to the hands of the youngest, who have a high educational level and strong links with community work

Cervical dystonia incidence and diagnostic delay in a multiethnic population.

BackgroundCurrent cervical dystonia (CD) incidence estimates are based on small numbers in relatively ethnically homogenous populations. The frequency and consequences of delayed CD diagnosis is poorly characterized.ObjectivesTo determine CD incidence and characterize CD diagnostic delay within a large, multiethnic integrated health maintenance organization.MethodsWe identified incident CD cases using electronic medical records and multistage screening of more than 3 million Kaiser Permanente Northern California members from January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2007. A final diagnosis was made by movement disorders specialist consensus. Diagnostic delay was measured by questionnaire and health utilization data. Incidence rates were estimated assuming a Poisson distribution of cases and directly standardized to the 2000 U.S. census. Multivariate logistic regression models were employed to assess diagnoses and behaviors preceding CD compared with matched controls, adjusting for age, sex, and membership duration.ResultsCD incidence was 1.18/100,000 person-years (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.35-2.0; women, 1.81; men, 0.52) based on 200 cases over 15.4 million person-years. Incidence increased with age. Half of the CD patients interviewed reported diagnostic delay. Diagnoses more common in CD patients before the index date included essential tremor (odds ratio [OR] 68.1; 95% CI, 28.2-164.5), cervical disc disease (OR 3.83; 95% CI, 2.8-5.2), neck sprain/strain (OR 2.77; 95% CI, 1.99-3.62), anxiety (OR 2.24; 95% CI, 1.63-3.11) and depression (OR 1.94; 95% CI, 1.4-2.68).ConclusionsCD incidence is greater in women and increases with age. Diagnostic delay is common and associated with adverse effects. © 2019 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society

THE CONTINGENT ADOPTION OF ICT INNOVATIONS: THE CASE OF AN INDONESIAN UNIVERSITY

Using the context of a university in a developing country, this research is employing a single case study with embedded design to examine the perspective of academics as secondary adopters of managerial ICT innovations. By exploring the influence of mediating factors towards the adoption and implementation of the innovations, this research will contribute to and extend the hybrid innovation diffusion framework advocated by Gallivan (2001) in a university setting in Indonesia. Gallivan (2001) suggests that innovation diffusion studies should accommodate the contingent adoption scenario where the innovation is first adopted at an organisational level, leaving organisation members as secondary adopters. Universities frequently utilise this scenario as university executives initially adopt innovations before mandating them to academics. The framework is therefore a suitable tool to be used to assess ICT innovation diffusion in universities. The research has reviewed the available literature, identified the research gap and developed a preliminary conceptual framework upon which to analyse the case study. After the data is analysed, a refinement of the framework will be undertaken

Gestational weight gain and group prenatal care: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background Group visits for chronic medical conditions in non-pregnant populations have demonstrated successful outcomes including greater weight loss compared to individual visits for weight management. It is plausible that group prenatal care can similarly assist women in meeting gestational weight gain goals. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of group vs. traditional prenatal care on gestational weight gain. Methods A keyword search of Medline, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, clinicaltrials.gov, and Google Scholar was performed up to April 2017. Studies were included if they compared gestational weight gain in a group prenatal care setting to traditional prenatal care in either randomized controlled trials, cohort, or case-control studies. The primary and secondary outcomes were excessive and adequate gestational weight gain according to the Institute of Medicine guidelines. Heterogeneity was assessed with the Q test and I2 statistic. Pooled relative risks (RRs) and confidence intervals (CI) were reported with random-effects models from the randomized controlled trials (RCT) and cohort studies. Results One RCT, one secondary analysis of an RCT, one study with “random assignment”, and twelve cohort studies met the inclusion criteria for a total of 13,779 subjects. Thirteen studies used the CenteringPregnancy model, defined by 10 sessions that emphasize goal setting and self-monitoring. Studies targeted specific populations such as adolescents, African-Americans, Hispanics, active-duty military or their spouses, and women with obesity or gestational diabetes. There were no significant differences in excessive [7 studies: pooled rates 47% (1806/3582) vs. 43% (3839/8521), RR 1.09, 95% CI 0.97–1.23] or adequate gestational weight gain [6 studies: pooled rates 31% (798/2875) vs. 30% (1410/5187), RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.79–1.08] in group and traditional prenatal care among the nine studies that reported categorical gestational weight gain outcomes in the meta-analysis. Conclusions Group prenatal care was not associated with excessive or adequate gestational weight gain in the meta-analysis. Since outcomes were overall inconsistent, we propose that prenatal care models (e.g., group vs. traditional) should be evaluated in a more rigorous fashion with respect to gestational weight gain

US Cosmic Visions: New Ideas in Dark Matter 2017: Community Report

This white paper summarizes the workshop "U.S. Cosmic Visions: New Ideas in Dark Matter" held at University of Maryland on March 23-25, 2017.Comment: 102 pages + reference

Inclusive Education in the United States

School reform issues addressing inclusive education were investigated in this nationwide (United States) study. A total of 714 randomly selected middle school principals and teachers responded to concerns about inclusion, "degree of change needed in" and "importance of" collaborative strategies of teaching, perceived barriers to inclusion, and supportive activities and concepts for inclusive education. There was disagreement among teachers and principals regarding some aspects of inclusive education and collaborative strategies. For example, principals and special education teachers were more positive about inclusive education than regular education teachers. Collaboration as an instructional strategy for "included" students was viewed as a high priority item. Responders who had taken two or more courses in school law rated the identified barriers to inclusive education higher than those with less formal training in the subject