This paper focuses on the role of neighborhood associations as the primary intermediaries between residents and municipal government. Drawing from fieldwork in two metropolitan municipalities of the State of México, it identifies the ways that residents interact with local government authorities as they express their concerns about public safety and policing, as well as their ideas and demands for responses to these issues. The research has important implications for all three aspects of the rule of law discussed in this volume. It touches on the ways that leaders of neighborhood associations perceive and respond to issues of public order within their jurisdictions; it considers the accountability of municipal officials to their constituents; and, by comparing conditions and patterns in two sharply contrasting localities (Huixquilucan and Nezahualcóyotl), it encompasses questions of access to justice on both individual and neighborhood bases. However, the paper concludes that the principal problem facing residents concerned about public security is not systematic discrimination based on socioeconomic status, but rather, the obstacles that typical neighborhood councils face in prompting municipal governments to take action.

Class attendance and out-of-class study time are known to be strongly associated with academic engagement and college GPA. The paper examines two other uses of time as influences on academic outcomes: those devoted to active engagements with friends and community as opposed to passive entertainments, and those that connect students to campus life rather than separating them from campus life. Controlling for students’ socio-demographic backgrounds, previous academic achievements, and social and psychological stressors, we find that “activating” uses of time are associated with higher levels of academic engagement and higher GPAs. However, uses of time that connect students to campus life show inconsistent effects.

Using data from the 2008 University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey, we show that study time and academic conscientiousness were lower among students in humanities and social science majors than among students in science and engineering majors. Analytical and critical thinking experiences were no more evident among humanities and social sciences majors than among science and engineering majors. All three academically beneficial experiences were, however, strongly related to participation in class and interaction with instructors, and participation was more common among humanities and social sciences students than among science and engineering students. Bok’s (2006) influential discussion of “underachievement’ in undergraduate education focused on institutional performance. Our findings indicate that future discussions should take into account differences among disciplinary categories and majors as well.

When the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 infects human cells, it results in the formation of “double-membrane vesicles” (DMVs) upon major rearrangements of the host cell compartment called the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) (Cortese et al., 2020). Previous studies have identified that nonstructural protein 4 (Nsp4), one of SARS-CoV-2 coded proteins, is involved in formation of the DMVs in mammalian cells (Angelini et al., 2013; Hagemeijer et al., 2014; Oudshoorn et al., 2017). Importantly without proper DMV formation, SARS-CoV are unable to replicate and reproduce in the infected cell (Sakai et al., 2017). Little is known about if host cell components are involved and the molecular mechanisms by which the DMV is formed. In order to answer these questions, we used a minimal experimental model and transformed a plasmid that expresses SARS-CoV-2 Nsp4 under the galactose regulatable promoter into wild type Saccharomyces cerevisiae, or budding yeast. These cells carried a prominent ER transmembrane protein fused with GFP (Pho88-GFP) integrated in the genomic pho88 locus. Here, we show that expression of Nsp4 alone in WT cells results in the dramatic rearrangement of ER structure. Using gene knockout cell strains, we found that while upstream elements of ER stress mitigating pathways like the unfolded protein response (UPR) and ER stress surveillance (ERSU) checkpoint were not involved in these rearrangements, proteins Vps4 and Vps24 of the endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT) were involved. Finally, we discovered that inducing Nsp4 expression results in a significant decrease of ER inheritance into the daughter cell and is mediated in part by Vps4. This minimal experimental approach allows for a further investigation of host components involved in both morphological and functional changes of the ER and potential drug targets to disrupt DMVs, and thus SARS-CoV-2 reproduction.

Using data on upper-division students in the University of California system, we show that two distinct cultures of engagement exist on campus. The culture of engagement in the arts, humanities and social sciences focuses on interaction, participation, and interest in ideas. The culture of engagement in the natural sciences and engineering focuses on improvement of quantitative skills through collaborative study with an eye to rewards in the labor market. The two cultures of engagement are strongly associated with post-graduate degree plans. The findings raise questions about normative conceptions of good educational practices in so far as they are considered to be equally relevant to students in all higher education institutions and all major fields of study.