12 research outputs found
THE TWO FACES OF FEDERALISM: From the Journal -Scalia A., Two Faces of Federalism, Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, Vol.6, No.1, 1982, 19-22
No full textThe article deals with the understanding of federalism by 20th century American conservatives, which seems to derive from the view of Alexander Hamilton, but essentially contradicts him. According to Scalia, Alexander Hamilton exalted the virtues of federalism and criticized colonial disunity, while twentieth-century American conservatives for more than five decades saw federalism as a critique of central control, thus opposing the national government's intervention and extolling the benefits of state and local control. The author disagrees with such an approach and cites a number of areas of legislation in which it would be appropriate to have federal legislation and in some cases impose regulations prohibiting states. Scalia's final call is that the federal government is good if we use it wisely.The article deals with the understanding of federalism by 20th century American conservatives, which seems to derive from the view of Alexander Hamilton, but essentially contradicts him. According to Scalia, Alexander Hamilton exalted the virtues of federalism and criticized colonial disunity, while twentieth-century American conservatives for more than five decades saw federalism as a critique of central control, thus opposing the national government's intervention and extolling the benefits of state and local control. The author disagrees with such an approach and cites a number of areas of legislation in which it would be appropriate to have federal legislation and in some cases impose regulations prohibiting states. Scalia's final call is that the federal government is good if we use it wisely
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The lives of the constitution ::ten exceptional minds that shaped America's supreme law /
No full text"[This book] tells the ... story of our Constitution through the eyes of ten extraordinary individuals--some renowned, like Alexander Hamilton and Woodrow Wilson, and some forgotten, like James Wilson and Ida B. Wells-Barnett. [The author] brings to life their struggles over our supreme law from its origins in revolutionary America to the era of Obama and Trump. Sweeping from settings as diverse as Gold Rush California to the halls of Congress, and crowded with a vivid Dickensian cast, [the author] shows how America's unique constitutional culture grapples with questions like democracy, racial and sexual equality, free speech, economic liberty, and the role of government. [The author] chronicles how Daniel Webster sought to avert the Civil War; how Alexis de Tocqueville misunderstood America; how Robert Jackson balanced liberty and order in the battle against Nazism and Communism; and how Antonin Scalia died warning Americans about the ever-growing reach of the Supreme Court. From the 1787 Philadelphia Convention to the clash over gay marriage, this is a grand tour through two centuries of constitutional history as never told before, and an education in the principles that sustain America in the most astonishing experiment in government ever undertaken."-
Os direitos, os juízes, o povo: a cláusula pétrea dos direitos e das garantias individuais e o controle judicial de constitucionalidade das emendas à Constituição de 1988
No full textTese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Ciências Jurídicas. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Direito.Existe uma dificuldade na relação que envolve os direitos, os juízes e o povo. Os direitos enunciados numa Constituição geralmente são tidos como indisponíveis às maiorias eleitorais e legislativas ordinárias, porém, sujeitos ao discernimento de minorias judiciais. Esta tese almeja tomar a sério essa tensão, reconstruir suas premissas, e sugerir uma teoria do controle judicial de constitucionalidade capaz de sustentar a intervenção dos juízes na interpretação da Constituição sem que tal prática funcione como um impedimento a que cada cidadão possa participar significativamente das decisões que dizem respeito aos seus próprios direitos. O trabalho retoma, com esse intento, o problema específico do controle judicial de constitucionalidade das emendas à Constituição de 1988 em face da cláusula pétrea dos direitos e garantias individuais. Descreve as questões profundas que estão na base das discussões em torno da legitimidade dos limites materiais de reforma constitucional e da ação do Poder Judiciário como intérprete desses limites. Apresenta uma reformulação dessas questões, que abordam o fundamento da respeitabilidade da Constituição e o papel da instituição judicial num regime democrático, à luz de uma teoria moral dos direitos e de uma concepção deliberativa da política. Contrapõe essa teorização abstrata à prática de aplicação da cláusula dos direitos e garantias individuais pelo Judiciário brasileiro observada nos julgados do Supremo Tribunal Federal. Conclui que apenas a compreensão dos juízes como participantes não privilegiados num diálogo entre iguais acerca do sentido das normas constitucionais permite equacionar a tensão entre os direitos, os juízes e o povo. Propõe que essa concepção dialógica do controle judicial de constitucionalidade seja implementada através de uma postura identificada como minimalismo judicial, cujas principais características são a provisoriedade, superficialidade e estreiteza das decisões. Defende, com base nessa orientação dialógica e minimalista, que, no âmbito específico do controle de constitucionalidade de emendas, os juízes interfiram exclusivamente para promover a responsabilidade democrática do órgão de revisão e o caráter deliberativo do processo de reforma, jamais para julgar definitivamente o conteúdo das emendas
Effectiveness of bony batten grafting for correction of caudal septal deviations
No full textObjective: The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the efficacy of using the Batten septal bone graft intraoperatively to correct anterior septal deviations that covers Zone 1 and Zone 2 as proposed by Cottle using the NOSE scale. Methods: To this end, 30 patients with anterior septal deviations who underwent Functional Rhinoseptoplasty surgery from February 2019 to May 2023 and used septal bone grafting to correct the deviation were collected in a clinical study at the Otorhinolaryngology Department of a tertiary hospital in São Paulo. Results: There was a reduction in the Nose Scale from 75.5% to 17.3% in patients who underwent septal deviation correction using this graft (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The septal bone batten trought the endonasal approach proved to be an excellent alternative for correcting anterior deviations in patients where the simple removal of osteo-cartilaginous structures is not enough to resolve them. This graft is easy to obtain, has the ideal properties for its purpose and presented no complications related to its use in the study. Level of evidence: Level 2
In vitro antimicrobial activity of Luffa operculata
No full textAbstractIntroductionLuffa operculata is probably one of the most popular herbal medicines used in the treatment of rhinitis and rhinosinusitis. However, its specific mechanism of action is still unknown.ObjectiveTo evaluate in vitro antibacterial activity of L. operculata against three ordinary agents of upper respiratory tract infection: Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes.MethodsDifferent concentrations of L. operculata alcoholic extract were applied to bacterial broth containing reference and community strains of the three described agents. After a 24-h incubation period, the bacterial culture turbidity was measured. The samples were then inoculated onto Mueller-Hinton and human blood agar plates. Bacterial growth was analyzed after 24- and 48-h incubation period. The test was considered negative when there was no environmental turbidity, confirmed by the absence of bacterial growth into the inoculated plates. Tests were considered positive when either turbidity changes were observed on the bacterial broth or when bacterial growth was detected on inoculated plates. Appropriate statistical analysis of the data was performed.ResultsL. operculata extracts showed antibacterial activity mainly to S. pyogenes followed by S. pneumoniae and S. aureus.ConclusionsL. operculata extract showed promising antibacterial activity in vitro against the studied agents
Extracting Commuters from Automated Road Traffic Counters : A Gaussian Mixture Approach
No full textPublisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2025.Assessing traffic patterns is important for many applications such as rush hour traffic management, cross-border commuting statistics, transportation disruption assessment, and crisis management. We present a method for detecting commuting patterns from time-detailed traffic sensor data. Our method uses Gaussian mixture models to identify morning peaks that also exhibit expected variation patterns over weekends and holidays as corresponding to commuting. We apply the method to detect the variation in commuting between countries in the Nordics during the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Results show that the commuting traffic experienced a smaller decrease (42–71%) than the total traffic (87–92%) during the pandemic. For Finland and Sweden, both types of traffic have in 2023 returned to approximately the same level as before the pandemic, while the traffic between Norway and Sweden has only recovered to about 73% of the pre-pandemic level. Our methods can be applied in real-time to provide useful information for applications.Peer reviewe
Herpes Simplex Virus in the saliva of peripheral Bell's palsy patients
No full textSummaryThe first herpes virus to be described was types 1 and 2, whose denomination is herpes simplex 1 and 2 or HSV -1 and HSV -2. These viruses have specific biological characteristics, such as the ability to cause different kinds of diseases, as well as to establish host's latent or persistent lifetime infections and also of being reactivated, causing lesions that can be located at the same site of the initial primary infection or close to it. It is suggested that this virus reactivation in the geniculate ganglion may be related to Bell's palsy. In this situation, the viruses that would be latent in this ganglion, would suffer reactivation and replication, then be diffused through the facial nerve and its branches, among them the chorda tympani nerve, which by stimulating salivary secretion would enable the identification of the viral DNA in the patients’ saliva. Until recently, a great number of patients was diagnosed as holders of this kind of paralysis, named idiopathic or Bell's palsy. With the introduction of the technique studying the viral DNA by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), several authors have found herpes simplex virus type I DNA in the cerebrospinal fluid, in the lachrymal secretion, in the saliva and in the geniculate ganglia of patients with Bell's palsy.Aimobserve the occurrence of herpes simplex type I virus using PCR technique in the saliva of patients with Bell's palsy and relating it to the clinical evolution of these cases.MethodologyWe evaluated 38 patients with Bell's palsy submitted to anamnesis, clinical and ENT examination and saliva sampling for viral DNA detection by PCR technique. The control group was ten normal adults.ResultsWe found positive viral DNA in 11 cases out of the 38, which corresponded to 29% of the sample. This result was statistically significant if compared to the control group, in which we did not find any positive case.ConclusionThe end result was that the presence of HSV -1 in the saliva of patients with Bell's palsy indicating that the viral reactivation can be the etiology of this disease. The detection of the virus in these patients’ saliva does not influence the disease prognosis
In vitro antimicrobial activity of Luffa operculata
No full textINTRODUCTION:Luffa operculata is probably one of the most popular herbal medicines used in the treatment of rhinitis and rhinosinusitis. However, its specific mechanism of action is still unknown.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate in vitro antibacterial activity of L. operculata against three ordinary agents of upper respiratory tract infection: Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes.METHODS: Different concentrations of L. operculata alcoholic extract were applied to bacterial broth containing reference and community strains of the three described agents. After a 24-h incubation period, the bacterial culture turbidity was measured. The samples were then inoculated onto Mueller-Hinton and human blood agar plates. Bacterial growth was analyzed after 24- and 48-h incubation period. The test was considered negative when there was no environmental turbidity, confirmed by the absence of bacterial growth into the inoculated plates. Tests were considered positive when either turbidity changes were observed on the bacterial broth or when bacterial growth was detected on inoculated plates. Appropriate statistical analysis of the data was performed.RESULTS:L. operculata extracts showed antibacterial activity mainly to S. pyogenes followed by S. pneumoniae and S. aureus.CONCLUSIONS:L. operculata extract showed promising antibacterial activity in vitro against the studied agents.</div
Normal Values of Cardiac Output and Stroke Volume According to Measurement Technique, Age, Sex, and Ethnicity: Results of the World Alliance of Societies of Echocardiography Study
No full textBACKGROUND: Assessment of cardiac output (CO) and stroke volume (SV) is essential to understand cardiac function and hemodynamics. These parameters can be examined using three echocardiographic techniques (pulsed-wave Doppler, two-dimensional [2D], and three-dimensional [3D]). Whether these methods can be used interchangeably is unclear. The influence of age, sex, and ethnicity on CO and SV has also not been examined in depth. In this report from the World Alliance of Societies of Echocardiography Normal Values Study, the authors compare CO and SV in healthy adults according to age, sex, ethnicity, and measurement techniques. METHODS: A total of 1,450 adult subjects (53% men) free of heart, lung, and kidney disease were prospectively enrolled in 15 countries, with even distributions among age groups and sex. Subjects were divided into three age groups (young, 18–40 years; middle aged, 41–65 years; and old, >65 years) and three main racial groups (whites, blacks, and Asians). CO and SV were indexed (cardiac index [CI] and SV index [SVI], respectively) to body surface area and height and measured using three echocardiographic methods: Doppler, 2D, and 3D. Images were analyzed at two core laboratories (one each for 2D and 3D). RESULTS: CI and SVI were significantly lower by 2D compared with both Doppler and 3D methods in both sexes. SVI was significantly lower in women than men by all three methods, while CI differed only by 2D. SVI decreased with aging by all three techniques, whereas CI declined only with 2D and 3D. CO and SV were smallest in Asians and largest in whites, and the differences persisted after normalization for body surface area. CONCLUSIONS: The present results provide normal reference values for CO and SV, which differ by age, sex, and race. Furthermore, CI and SVI measurements by the different echocardiographic techniques are not interchangeable. All these factors need to be taken into account when evaluating cardiac function and hemodynamics in individual patients
Role of chemerin, a novel adipochemokine, in the human microvascular endothelial cell (HMEC)-1 line
No full textChemerin is a newly identified adipokine and exerts its functional effects by
binding to its natural GPCR, known as CMKLR1. Chemerin is highly expressed in
the adipose tissue and in lower levels in other body tissues; and is known to play an
important role in adipocyte differentiation and metabolism. Chemerin circulates at
the normal physiological concentrations of approximately 3-4nM in humans, and
circulating chemerin levels positively correlate with various facets of metabolic
abnormalities; such as insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, high triglycerides,
hypertension, and associated risks of development of diseases of cardiovascular
system. Endothelial Cells (ECs) line the vasculature of the entire circulatory system
and form a direct contact with the bloodstream. In this project, the role of chemerin
in EC biology was proposed, and was studied in terms of activation of important
signalling Mitogen-activated Protein Kinases (MAPKs) including Extracellular
signal-regulated Kinase (ERK) 1/2, ERK5, p38, Stress-activated Protein Kinase/c-
Jun NH2-terminal Kinase (SAPK/JNK); and Akt/Protein Kinase B (PKB) and
Adenosine Monophosphate Protein Kinase (AMPK)-α in a time- and concentrationdependent
manners. These signalling kinases regulate the activity of different
transcription factors which then regulate the expression of different genes. Chemerin
increased the expression of Hypoxia-inducible Factor (HIF)-1α, a hypoxia-inducible
transcription factor which is known to regulate the Vascular Endothelial Growth
Factor (VEGF) gene expression. Interestingly, VEGF165, the most potent
angiogenic isoform of VEGF protein expression was down-regulated by chemerin in
a concentration-dependent manner; whereas, chemerin upregulated the protein
expression of VEGF165b, an opposite anti-angiogenic counterpart of VEGF165.
Chemerin mediated EC proliferation, migration and capillary tube formation; which
are the key processes implicated in the process of normal and pathological
angiogenesis. Chemerin altered the protein expression levels of Cell Adhesion
Molecules (CAMs) including E-selectin, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 – increased the
activity of Nuclear Factor (NF)–kappa (κ) B pathway – and encouraged Endothelial-
Monocyte cell adhesion in a concentration-dependent manner. Nitric Oxide (NO),
not only keeps the vascular health in check by downregulating the expression levels
of adhesion molecules, but also acts as a potent vasodilator. Endothelial Nitric Oxide
Synthase (eNOS), an enzyme constitutively expressed in the endothelial cells
regulates the production of NO in the endothelium. Chemerin increased eNOS
activity by causing eNOS phosphorylation at Ser1177, and dephosphorylating at
Thr495 phosphorylation sites. Chemerin increased the protein expression of nonconstitutively
expressed enzyme, inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase (iNOS), which is
mainly induced during injury or inflammation and is known to produce 100- to
1000-times more NO compared to that of eNOS. However, interestingly, chemerin
failed to show any significant changes in the amounts of combined nitrite and nitrate
(NOx) levels in HMEC-1 cells; whereas, nitrite (NO2–) levels were decreased in a
concentration-dependent manner
