Disappearing women, vanishing ladies and property in embryos

Guidelines on embryo storage prioritise 'respect for the embryo' above the wishes of the women whose labour and tissue have gone into creating the embryo in the first place, effectively making women and the female body disappear. In this article I draw a parallel between this phenomenon relating to embryo storage and other instances of a similar phenomenon that I have called 'the lady vanishes', particularly in stem cell and 'mitochondrial transfer' research. I suggest that a modified property regime could protect women's interests in embryo storage, making a parallel with the Yearworth case, in which it was recognised that men had limited but actionable interests in their stored sperm.

An investigation of risk factors for the later development of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, using HbA1c as a measure of glycaemia in a group of Auckland school children : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics, Massey University, Albany, Auckland, New Zealand

Background: A glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) test is recommended in diagnosing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and to identify prediabetics. This test is advocated over other methods due to ease of application and processing. Few studies have examined associations between HbA1c levels and T2DM risk factors (RFs) in children. Aim and hypotheses: To investigate the relationship between HbA1c levels and selected RFs associated with T2DM risk in a group of Auckland children. It is hypothesized that ethnicity and waist circumference (WC) will be reliable indicators of later T2DM risk. Body fat percentage (%BF) will likely be positively correlated with HbA1c level. Study design: A cross-sectional study involving children aged 8-11 years from six Auckland primary schools. Physical measures included weight, height, WC and %BF. A finger-prick blood test was collected for HbA1c levels. Ethnicity, gender, age, usual beverage intake and physical activity (PA) behaviours were assessed by self-completed questionnaires. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was used to explore which independent variables best predicted variance in HbA1c level. Results: When children (n=451, 10.4+0.6 years) were classified by glycaemic status, 71 children (15.7%) had HbA1c levels indicative of prediabetes. This was greatest in Pacific (n=29) and South Asian (n=13) children. Maori and Pacific children had higher BMI than European children (p<0.0001). For HbA1c, Pacific and South Asian children had higher levels than European (p<0.0001), as did Maori children (p<0.05). Asian children exhibited high %BF for a low BMI. In regression analysis to explain the variance in HbA1c, WC was the most significant predictor for South Asian, Pacific and Asian children. Conclusion: Ethnicity and adiposity (both central and overall) are key RF for T2DM risk. Waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio (WtHR) and BMI may all be used as measures in screening for T2DM risk. Glycated haemoglobin was a useful screening tool alongside RFs and not dependent on obesity

It's All About Me

The growth of personalised medicine threatens the communal approach that has brought our biggest health gains

The good governance agenda and urban governance : the case of Dhaka, Bangladesh : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy (Arts) in Development Studies at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

This thesis argues that the good governance agenda has reached an impasse in Dhaka due to the absence of political will and commitment. The current status of the good governance agenda, its advocates and opponents, after ten years of advancement as a prerequisite for poverty alleviation is investigated as well as its connection to the more recent phenomenon of urban governance. Urban governance on the one hand is used to describe urban actors and their relationships and on the other to describe the management of urban centres. Using Dhaka, Bangladesh as a case study, the thesis highlights that the two descriptions are very much connected since actors and their relationships, in the context of Bengali culture and accepted behavioural norms, influence the outcome of urban management issues, such as the provision of basic services and infrastructure. While there is little evidence that good governance does in fact lead to poverty alleviation, multilateral and bilateral donors and numerous NGOs, encouraged by the amount of funding available, are pursuing strategies to improve the governance situation in Dhaka. However, the current state of governance and the entrenched norms greatly affect the outcome which is emphasised through an examination of a number of current projects and programmes. Development practitioners, especially donors, are only now beginning to acknowledge the importance and influence of culture and politics on development policy, programme and project outcomes. However, direct attempts to modify culture and politics will undoubtedly lead to criticisms of interference in sovereignty issues. It is suggested that the good governance agenda has reached an impasse until there is a demonstration of political will and commitment for achieving good governance from the Government of Bangladesh, civil society and donors. The Government because as elected representatives they have power to change legislation, provide leadership nationwide and set a context for improvements; civil society because their attitudes and actions can either reinforce the current societal norms or challenge them; and donors because their own political and strategic agendas should help and not hinder development

Property and women’s alienation from their own reproductive labour

There is an urgent need for reconstructing models of property to make them more women-friendly. However, we need not start from scratch: both ‘canonical’ and feminist authors can sometimes provide concepts which we can refine and apply towards women’s propertylessness. This paper looks in particular at women’s alienation from their reproductive labour, building on Marx and Delphy. Developing an economic and political rather than a psychological reading of alienation, it then considers how the refined and revised concept can be applied to concrete examples in global justice for women: in particular, the commercialisation of embryonic and fetal tissue in the new stem cell technologies

Green Municipal Building Ordinances

In 2006 the town of Babylon, NY adopted a local law that requires LEED certification for “new construction of commercial buildings, office buildings, industrial buildings, multiple residence, or senior citizen multiple residence over 4,000 square feet”. As an incentive, the town will refund certification fees paid by developers if a new project achieves LEED status

Value and doubt: the persuasive power of 'authenticity' in the antiquities market

No abstract available

Guilderland Central School District and Guilderland Teachers\u27 Association(Guilderland Teaching Assistants Unit)

Proceeding Between Guilderland Central School District And Guilderland Teachers\u27 Association (Guilderland Teaching Assistants Unit). PERB Case No. M 2008-148. Donna Trautwein, Ph.D., Fact Finder