Self-determination of peoples in the context of supranational governance

Globalisation has proven to be a strong transformative force in almost all sectors of public life and has also left its mark on international law. The increasing number of supranational organisations being established and their increasing significance as actors that shape international and regional law is proof of this phenomenon. At the same time, self-determination of peoples remains contentious and has in recent history led to new questions emerging in a supranational setting. Catalan independence aspirations within Spain in the European Union (EU), and continued efforts to enable a second Scottish referendum on independence in post-Brexit times show the continued salience of self-determination even in mature democracies. What both cases have in common, is that both regions aspire to either remain in or re-join a supranational organisation, namely the EU. Against this background the lack of research dedicated to reassessing self-determination of peoples as international legal norm in a supranational context is striking. This thesis seeks to address that lacuna, by charting a new trajectory of the principle of self-determination of peoples in relation to supranationalism. It does so by focussing on developments in two regional frameworks: the EU and the African Union (AU). Textual interpretation following the model of Arts. 31 to 33 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties of 1969 will be the main tool of this research, with special attention paid to historical and contemporary political considerations that may have influenced the interpretation and application of the right to self-determination in different contexts. The discussion on the evolution of the norm itself is of particular interest, as is UN involvement in generating customary international law and state practice, the work on decolonisation, and the interface between self-determination and other concepts (among others human rights, indigenous peoples’ rights and development). This thesis aims to add to existing literature by bringing the results gained from looking at the above-mentioned elements together, to (re-) evaluate the interpretation of self-determination in international human rights law. Special consideration was also given to how the concepts of ‘nation’ and ‘state’ affect the interpretation of the right to self-determination in international law

Presidential and political perceptions of regional accreditation effectiveness and reform

Recently regional accreditation survived a major crisis during the fight over reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. The crisis revealed an apparent gulf between how political leaders and the academy perceive regional accreditation. Thisstudy, which utilized a Likert-scale questionnaire analyzed with SPSS and three open ended questions, asked:1) Do the perceptions of regional accreditation effectiveness and reform by college presidents reveal significant variances when examined by: mission and classification of institution, experience level of the president,involvement of the president in accreditation, or by field in which the president earned his/her terminal degree? 2) Do the perceptions of regional accreditation effectiveness and reform by political leaders (executive and legislative) reveal significant differences when examined by: political party affiliation; experience level; involvement in accreditation; and profession/employment? 3) Do the perceptions of regional accreditation effectiveness and reform by college presidents reveal a significant variance from the perceptions of political leaders? 4) What themes emerge when presidents and legislators are given an opportunity to offer open-ended comments on regional accreditation strengths, weaknesses, and improvements?This study focuses on the perceptions of governors, state legislators and presidents of higher education institutions in the eleven-state region of the SouthernAssociation of Colleges and Schools (SACS). One of the six regional accreditation agencies, and the second oldest, SACS includes 772 accredited higher education institutions. The eleven states in the SACS region have a total of 379 legislators that serve as members of House and Senate education committees in their state.The results of the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the responses of 438 college and university presidents, 83 state legislators, and five governors show that regional accreditation has the support of both presidents arid political leaders.However, the political leaders are less supportive of the existing process than the presidents are, somewhat more cynical about its effectiveness, and more supportive of potential reforms. It is recommended that regional accreditation agencies increase their efforts to inform and involve political leaders and the general public, and to consider some reforms that might increase public support and trust in the process

Joan K. Benziger to Senator James O. Eastland, 22 February 1973

Typed letter dated 22 February 1973 from Joan K. Benziger, Associate Director of the President\u27s Commission on White House Fellows, to Eastland, re: study of Congressional activities and Judiciary Committee in particular.https://egrove.olemiss.edu/joecorr_f/1097/thumbnail.jp

Ignition and Front Propagation in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells

Water produced in a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cell enhances membrane proton conductivity; this positive feedback loop can lead to current ignition. Using a segmented anode fuel cell we study the effect of gas phase convection and membrane diffusion of water on the spatiotemporal nonlinear dynamics - localized ignition and front propagation - in the cell. Co-current gas flow causes ignition at the cell outlet, and membrane diffusion causes the front to slowly propagate to the inlet; counter-current flow causes ignition in the interior of the cell, with the fronts subsequently spreading towards both inlets. These instabilities critically affect fuel cell performance

Neutrino electron scattering and left-right symmetry: future tests

Low-energy high-resolution neutrino-electron scattering experiments may play an important role in testing the gauge structure of the electroweak interaction. We propose the use of radioactive neutrino sources (e.g. $^{51}$Cr) in underground experiments such as BOREXINO and HELLAZ as a probe of the weak neutral current structure. As an illustration, we display the sensitivity of these detectors in testing the possible existence of right-handed weak neutral currents.Comment: 4 pages. Latex. 1 figure. Contributed paper, WIN97, Capri, Italy, June 199

Biomass Fuel Use and Cardiac Function in Nepali Women.

BackgroundExposure to household air pollution (HAP) from cooking with biomass fuel affects billions of people. We hypothesized that HAP from woodsmoke, compared to other household fuels, was associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes, of which there have been few studies.MethodsA cross-sectional study was completed in 299 females aged 40-70 years in Kaski District, Nepal, during 2017-18. All participants underwent a standard 12-lead ECG, ankle and brachial systolic blood pressure measurement, and 2D color and Doppler echocardiography. Current stove type was confirmed by inspection. Blood pressure, height, and weight were measured using a standardized protocol. Hypertension was defined as ≥140/90 mmHg or prior diagnosis. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was obtained, with diabetes mellitus defined as a prior diagnosis or HbA1C ≥ 6.5%. We used adjusted linear and logistic multivariable regressions to examine the relationship of stove type with cardiac structure and function.ResultsThe majority of women primarily used liquified petroleum gas (LPG) stoves (65%), while 12% used biogas, and 23% used wood-burning cook-stoves. Prevalence of major cardiovascular risk factors was 35% with hypertension, 19% with diabetes mellitus, and 15% current smokers. After adjustment, compared to LPG, wood stove use was associated with increased indexed left atrial volume (β = 3.15, 95% CI 1.22 to 5.09) and increased indexed left ventricular end diastolic volume (β = 7.97, 95% CI 3.11 to 12.83). There was no association between stove type and systemic hypertension, left ventricular mass, systolic dysfunction, diastolic dysfunction, pulmonary hypertension, abnormal ankle-brachial index, or clinically significant ECG abnormalities.ConclusionBiomass fuel use was associated with increased indexed left atrial volume and increased indexed left ventricular diastolic volume in Nepali women, suggesting subclinical adverse cardiac remodeling from HAP in this cross-sectional study. We did not find evidence of an association with hypertension or typical cardiac sequelae of hypertension. Future studies to confirm these results are needed

Spiritually Sensitive Psychological Counseling: A History of the Relationship between Psycholgy and Spirituality and Suggestions for Integrating Them in Individual, Group, and Family Counseling

The purpose of this study was to research the history of the relationship between the scientific view of psychology and the spiritual one in the West from Plato to the present; to determine how and why the two views separated; and to explore ways to combine both in counseling