CREATING LEGAL PATHWAYS TO REDUCE IRREGULAR MIGRATION? WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM GERMANY’S “WESTERN BALKAN REGULATION”

The arrival of over 1 million people in Europe in 2015 and the sense of crisis it provoked have renewed debates on appropriate ways to establish a more orderly migration management system. How can we ensure pathways are available for those in genuine need of protection, while reducing the number of migrants arriving irregularly? “Legal pathways” are often presented as an essential tool toward this end. In 2015, Germany created such legal pathways in the form of access to the German labor market in a little known, and almost accidental migration policy experiment: the Western Balkan Regulation. Against the backdrop of large numbers of people arriving in Germany from the six Western Balkan states (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia) who had almost no chance of receiving asylum and then from 2015 the sudden increase of Syrians and others coming through the Balkan route, the regulation was part of a broader initiative in Berlin to reduce the numbers of people seeking asylum. The regulation, also known as section 26.2 (§26.2) of the employment regulation (Beschäftigungsverordnung), essentially opened the labor market for nationals from the six Western Balkan countries, without, more surprisingly, including any minimum skill or qualification requirements. The only pre-requisite was a valid job offer by an employer in Germany, subject to a standard priority check for third country nationals

Late Quaternary stratigraphy of the lower Androscoggin Valley, southern Maine

Guidebook for field trips in southwestern Maine: New England Intercollegiate Geological Conference, 78th annual meeting, Bates College, Lewiston, Maine, October 17, 18, and 19, 1986: Trip A-

Indoctrination in secondary schools

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

AI, digital identities, biometrics, blockchain: A primer on the use of technology in migration management. Bertelsmann Stiftung Migration Strategy Group on International Cooperation and Development June 2020.

Digitalization and technological change are rapidly transforming every aspect of our societies and economies, and the migration and refugee policy space is no exception. Technology is already affecting migrants, refugees, and people on the move in many ways, but policymakers have yet to systematically address the different uses of technology in the migration management field. The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to accelerate these digitalization processes, making fast policy adaptation crucial. Technological changes range from broader developments, such as increasing digital connectivity in general — via smart or mobile phones, messaging services and web-based applications, or app-based systems — to more tech-centered applications: Karim the Chatbot X2AI i has provided virtual psychotherapy to Syrians in Zaatari refugee camp; AI-powered Free Robot Lawyers is offering legal help to migrants and refugees; and the non-profit REFUNITE (with more than 1 million registered users) helps refugees to find missing family members via mobile phone or a computer. Digital connectivity is providing new options for migrants and refugees to gain access to training or education via online learning platforms and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), or to services delivered virtually by NGOs, international organizations, or governments. Combined with the global spread of social media use, this connectivity has also created new (dis)information ecosystems in the migration space that policy makers must grapple with

Gender comparisons of the anthropometric dimensions of optometry students and professionals and the need to reconsider human factors engineering to accommodate the changing demography of the optometric profession

The large shift towards more women in optometry necessitates ergonomic reconsideration of tools, equipment and workstations, because of gender size differences. This study focused on the anthropometric component of ergonomics; 33 men and 33 women were measured for height and eight other parameters which may be important in equipment design. They were also asked if they sat or stood while performing an eye exam. The t-test comparison showed a very highly significant difference between genders for all parameters. Men\u27s size made no difference in sitting or standing, whereas women\u27s did. The level of significance was highest when comparing all subjects, which meant height, not gender, is the critical factor, especially for those on the shorter end. Equipment manufactures and designers should cater to a larger range of physical dimensions than in the past

Glacialmarine facies relations in the lower Androscoggin Valley, southwest Maine

A facies model is proposed for late Wisconsinan glaciomarine deposits in the lower Androscoggin Valley that includes for lithofacies assemblages that are defined by morphology and detailed stratigraphic and sedimentologic analysis. The end moraine facies assemblage includes subglacial and resedimented diamicton, and interbedded and locally deformed sand and gravel beds. The sediments from linear ridges which are former grounding line positions of the tidewater glacier margin. The submarine outwash fan facies assemblage commonly drapes or flanks the end moraine assemblage. In proximal regions of the fan, gravel, bedded sand, and diamicton lithofacies predominate and represent rapid deposition at the mouth of the meltwater tunnel by fluvial and mass flow processes. Distal and lateral to the ice margin, fan sediments consist of graded and cross-laminated sands deposited from suspension. The shallow marine facies assemblage consists of well-sorted tidal to subtidal sand lithofacies, poorly sorted gravelly and bouldery lad deposits on moraine crests, and lagoonal muds. Collectively, these lithofacies were deposited as a result of reworking previously deposited sediments during isostatic emergence

Anti-Hunger Policy in Brazil and Venezuela: A Comparative Historical Study

Hunger remains a problem in Latin America. This thesis compares the approaches taken by Brazil and Venezuela to combating it, focusing on each country's largest anti-hunger program: the Fome Zero program of conditional cash transfers to low income households in Brazil, and the Misión Mercal program of subsidized food in local public grocery stores in Venezuela. Both programs came about because Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Brazilian President Lula represent sectors of society long marginalized from the political process - the urban and rural poor who seek programs to reduce poverty and promote economic equality. Brazil chose its approach due to limited resources, the need to appease international capital, and a fragmented party system. Venezuela chose its approach because of greater access to revenue, reduced state capacity, and an ideology focused on developing an alternative to capitalism (the Endogenous Model) dependent on local social organization

Anatomical correlates for visual extinction - a fMRI study

Hintergrund: Gesunde Erwachsene können nur eine begrenzte Menge an Informationen verarbeiten. Bei Patienten mit visueller Extinktion, einer Erkrankung die nach rechtshemisphärischen Schlaganfällen auftreten kann, ist diese natürliche Limitierung gesteigert und resultiert darin, dass Patienten bei Präsentation beidseitiger Stimuli den kontraläsionellen Reiz auslöschen. Ziel dieser Studie war es, Bereiche des Gehirns zu identifizieren, die für die Verarbeitung multipler visueller Reize verantwortlich sind. Unter Berücksichtigung der “top-down-” und bottom-up”-Aufmerksamkeitsmodelle und der Ergebnisse von TMS- (transcranielle Magnetstimulation) und fMRT- (funktionelle Kernspintomographie) Studien, wurde die Hypothese gestellt, dass dem rechtshemisphärischen intraparietalen Sulcus (IPS) eine wichtige Rolle bei der Aufmerksamkeitslenkung auf bilaterale Reize und der temporoparietale junction (TPJ) eine wichtige Rolle bei der Erkennung dieser bilateralen Reize zukommt. Methoden: 24 Probanden nahmen an einem fMRT-Experiment teil welches in fünf Einheiten mit je 400 Versuchsdurchgängen gegliedert war. Ein Versuchsdurchgang bestand aus einem neutralen oder informativen Hinweisreiz (HR) welcher in Richtung eines rechtsseitigen, linksseitigen oder beidseitigen Zielkastens wies. Nach einem variablen Zeitintervall erschienen im jeweils angekündigtem Zielkasten ein Zielreiz (ZR) oder ein Ablenkreiz (AR). Augenbewegungen und Reaktionszeiten wurden aufgezeichnet. Statistische Auswertung der Bildgebungsdaten und die Erstellung der nachfolgend genannten Kontraste erfolgte mittels SPM8 (Statistical parametric mapping). Kontrastmodelle waren: a) unilateraler HR links vs. bilateraler HR, b) unilateraler HR rechts vs. bilateraler HR, c) unilateraler ZR links vs. bilateraler ZR, d) unilateraler HR rechts vs. bilateraler HR. Durch Überlappung der einzelnen Kontraste (sog. Konjunktionsbilder) wurden diejenigen Voxel sichtbar, welche stärker auf Präsentation bilateraler HRs und ZRs reagiert haben als auf die jeweiligen unilateralen Reize. Ergebnisse: In 97,6 ± 2,5% der Versuchszeit fixierten die Probanden einen zentralen Fixationspunkt. Reaktionszeiten (RTs) für ZR die einem informativen HR folgten, waren signifikant schneller. Die Detektion bilateraler ZR resultierte in längeren RTs als die Detektion einzelner ZR. Das Konjunktionsbild der HR-Bedingung zeigte eine Überlappung im rechtshemisphärischem inferiorem frontalen Gyrus (IFG) und das der ZR-Bedingung im rechtshemisphärischem IPS und Gyrus cinguli (CG)/ superiorem frontalen Gyrus (SFG). Diskussion: Die schnelleren RTs für erwartete ZR deuten darauf hin, dass die Probanden aufmerksam waren und die HR als Informationsquelle nutzten. Die langsameren RTs bei der Detektion bilateraler ZR könnten durch eine größere kognitive Herausforderung bedingt sein. Die Bildgebungsdaten für die Bedingungen HR und ZR zeigten Aktivierungen in den okzipitalen Regionen korrespondierend zu den bekannten Arealen der Sehbahn nach rechts- und linksseitiger Stimulation und resultierend aus einer durch den HR modulierten Aktivierung in den entsprechenden visuellen Cortices. Die fMRT Ergebnisse der Konjunktionsbilder [bilateral vs unilateraler HR links + bilateraler vs unilateraler HR rechts] und [bilateraler vs ZR links + bilateraler vs ZR rechts] zeigten insgesamt mehr Aktivierungen in der rechten Gehirnhemisphäre. Diese Ergebnisse stimmen mit bekannten Läsionsstudien überein und unterstützen die Annahme einer rechtshemisphärischen Dominanz für räumliche Aufmerksamkeit. Bilaterale HRs erzeugten Aktivierungen im rechtshemisphärischen IFG. Als Teil des ventroparietalen Netzwerkes ist war diese Aktivierung unerwartet, jedoch in Studien mit ähnlichem Versuchsaufbau bereits vorbeschrieben. Anders als erwartet kam es im Bereich des IPS nur in der ZR-Bedingung zu Aktivierungen und nicht in der HR-Bedingung. Diese Studie ist die erste Bildgebungsstudie welche IPS-Aktivierungen während dem Erkennen beidseitiger ZR zeigt. Diese Ergebnisse stehen im Einklang mit Ergebnissen von früheren TMS-Studien. Die Rolle des CG/SFG beim Erkennen beidseitiger ZR ist bis dato unklar und bedarf weiteren Untersuchungen. Bislang waren diese Hirnareale v.a. mit psychiatrischen Funktionsstörungen aber auch mit zielorientiertem Verhalten assoziiert. Schlussfolgerung Aktivierungen im IPS in der HR-Bedingung und TPJ-Aktivierung in der ZR-Bedingung konnten nicht nachgewiesen werden. Stattdessen konnten Aktivierungen im IPS in der ZR-Bedingung demonstriert werden, sodass dennoch von einer wichtigen Rolle des IPS beim Erkennen multipler Reize auszugehen ist. Unsere Ergebnisse weisen daraufhin, dass der rechtshemisphärische IFG eine wichtige Aufgabe bei der Lenkung von Aufmerksamkeit auf beidseitige und erwartete ZR übernimmt. Die fehlende TPJ-Aktivierung ist möglicherweise durch den Versuchsaufbau erklärt

Zero hunger: the politics of anti-hunger policy in Brazil

In 2003 Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (2003-2010) announced a nationwide Zero Hunger Program (Programa Fome Zero) and created the Special Ministry for Food Security (MESA), headed by José Graziano, to integrate a wide range initiatives to eliminate the “vicious cycle” of hunger. Within a year President Lula had merged MESA's Food Card program with three other cash transfers to form a conditional cash transfer (CCT) called Bolsa Família (Family Allowance). He also merged MESA into the new Ministry of Social Development headed by Patrus Ananias. This dissertation asks (1) why anti-hunger policies ultimately took the form they did and (2) how well they have worked to reduce poverty and hunger. Regarding the first question, it argues that program implementation initially failed in 2003 because the design was too complex and did not engage constructively with policy legacies from the Fernando Henrique Cardoso government. In contrast to the Food Card, Bolsa Família represented a simpler program that built on those legacies. The dissertation supports this assessment with evidence from government documents, media reports, and interviews fieldwork in Brazil (October 2010-July 2011). Regarding poverty, previous studies find that Bolsa Família is directly responsible for a reduction in headcount poverty (H) of only 1-2 percentage points. This dissertation uses the income gap (I), intensity (HI), and ordinal poverty (O) measures to analyze Brazil's National Household Sample Survey (PNAD) and demonstrates that the program led to a much more substantial reduction in the severity of poverty than in headcount poverty. Regarding hunger, malnutrition had already declined sharply before President Lula took office, but food insecurity declined by about a third from 2004-2009. The dissertation provides evidence that Bolsa Família contributed to this decline, showing that the increase in food security strongly correlates with the expansion of Bolsa Família at the state level.Doctor of Philosoph

Ductal adenocarcinoma of ventral surface of the tongue: An unusual presentation

There are very few cases reported of adenocarcinoma of the tongue. We report an unusual case of a 60-year-old female having a large, pedunculated ductal adenocarcinoma that had arisen from ventral surface of the tongue. The lesion was managed by surgery