Children\u27s Rights and a Capabilities Approach: The Question of Special Priority

The latter part of the twentieth century saw the near-universal recognition of the idea of children’s rights as human rights. At the same time, the conceptual basis for such rights remains largely under-theorized. Part of the aim of this Article is to draw on the insights of the “capabilities approach” developed by Martha Nussbaum in philosophy, and Amartya Sen in economics, in order to provide a fuller theoretical justification of this kind. In addition, this Article investigates the degree to which it will be justifiable, under such an approach, for international human rights law or national constitutions, to give special priority to children’s rights. It begins this task by first considering, and rejecting, potential justifications for such special priority based on the need to ensure the future self-reliance of children as adults and ideas about the special “innocence” of children; and, then, by developing two affirmative justifications for such special priority, based on the special vulnerability of children, and the special cost-effectiveness of protecting children’s rights. This Article also explores the degree to which these principles may provide a starting point for thinking about more general trade-offs between different rights claims, or claimants, under a capabilities approach

Assembly of functional diversity in an oceanic island flora

Oceanic island floras are well known for their morphological peculiarities and exhibit striking examples of trait evolution1–3. These morphological shifts are commonly attributed to insularity and are thought to be shaped by the biogeographical processes and evolutionary histories of oceanic islands2,4. However, the mechanisms through which biogeography and evolution have shaped the distribution and diversity of plant functional traits remain unclear5. Here we describe the functional trait space of the native flora of an oceanic island (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain) using extensive field and laboratory measurements, and relate it to global trade-offs in ecological strategies. We find that the island trait space exhibits a remarkable functional richness but that most plants are concentrated around a functional hotspot dominated by shrubs with a conservative life-history strategy. By dividing the island flora into species groups associated with distinct biogeographical distributions and diversification histories, our results also suggest that colonization via long-distance dispersal and the interplay between inter-island dispersal and archipelago-level speciation processes drive functional divergence and trait space expansion. Contrary to our expectations, speciation via cladogenesis has led to functional convergence, and therefore only contributes marginally to functional diversity by densely packing trait space around shrubs. By combining biogeography, ecology and evolution, our approach opens new avenues for trait-based insights into how dispersal, speciation and persistence shape the assembly of entire native island floras.Fil: Barajas Barbosa, Martha Paola. Martin-luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg; Alemania. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig; Alemania. Universität Göttingen; AlemaniaFil: Craven, Dylan. Data Observatory Foundation; Chile. Universidad Mayor; ChileFil: Weigelt, Patrick. Universität Göttingen; AlemaniaFil: Denelle, Pierre. Universität Göttingen; AlemaniaFil: Otto, Rüdiger. Universidad de La Laguna; EspañaFil: Díaz, Sandra Myrna. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Price, Jonathan. University Of Hawaii At Hilo; Estados UnidosFil: Fernández Palacios, José María. Universidad de La Laguna; EspañaFil: Kreft, Holger. Universität Göttingen; Alemani

Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopic Variability in Foxtail Millet

RATIONALE: Isotopic palaeodietary studies generally focus on bone collagen from human and/or animal remains. While plant remains are rarely analysed, it is known that plant isotope values can vary as a result of numerous factors, including soil conditions, the environment and type of plant. The millets were important food crops in prehistoric Eurasia, yet little is known about the isotopic differences within millet species. METHODS: Here we compare the stable isotope ratios within and between Setaria italica plants grown in a controlled environment chamber. Using homogenised samples, we compare carbon isotope ratios of leaves and grains, and nitrogen isotope ratios of grains, from 29 accessions of Setaria italica. RESULTS: We find significant isotopic variability within single leaves and panicles, and between leaves and panicles within the same plant, which must be considered when undertaking plant isotope studies. We find that the leaves and grains from the different accessions have a ca 2‰ range in δ(13) C values, while the nitrogen isotope values in the grains have a ca 6‰ range. We also find an average offset of 0.9‰ between leaves and grains in their δ(13) C values. CONCLUSIONS: The variation found is large enough to have archaeological implications and within- and between-plant isotope variability should be considered in isotope studies. The range in δ(15) N values is particularly significant as it is larger than the typical values quoted for a trophic level enrichment, and as such may lead to erroneous interpretations of the amount of animal protein in human or animal diets. It is therefore necessary to account for the variability in plant stable isotope values during palaeodietary reconstructions. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.The authors are grateful to Catherine Kneale and James Rolfe (University of Cambridge) for their help with isotopic analysis, to Rob Brett (Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge) for his help with access and use of the chamber and to Ian Mackay (NIAB) for help with experimental design. We thank the National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Japan (NIAS); Leibniz-Institut für Pflanzengenetik und Kulturpflanzenforschung, Gatersleben, Germany (IPK Gatersleben); the N.I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Genetic Resources, Russia (VIR); The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, India (ICRISAT) and the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Centre (USDA-ARS) for providing plant material. We wish to thank the European Research Council for financial support.This is the author accepted manuscript. It is currently under an indefinite embargo pending publication by Wiley

The Bulletin, School of Nursing Alumnae Association, 1977

A Letter from the President Progress - The New Jefferson Hospital/Clinical Teaching Facility 1977 School of Nursing A Comprehensive Approach to Hand Rehabilitation Parking Garage Your Sesquicentennial Campaign Social Report Scholarship Report Sick and Welfare Committee Program Committee Resource Committee of the Board of Trustees Bulletin Administration Ways and Means Committee Report Resume of Minutes of Alumnae Association Meetings Duke University Distinguished Alumna Award to Col. Catherine T. Betz (Ret.) Patient Representatives The Joys and Sorrows of a Director of Geriatric Nursing Highlights 1976 P.N.A Convention Class News Marriages Births In Memoriam A Letter from the Former President Help Us - Help Yo

Executive Summary:International Clinical Practice Guidelines for Pediatric Ventilator Liberation, A Pediatric Acute Lung Injury and Sepsis Investigators (PALISI) Network Document

Rationale: Pediatric-specific ventilator liberation guidelines are lacking despite the many studies exploring elements of extubation readiness testing. The lack of clinical practice guidelines has led to significant and unnecessary variation in methods used to assess pediatric patients’ readiness for extubation. Methods: Twenty-six international experts comprised a multiprofessional panel to establish pediatrics-specific ventilator liberation clinical practice guidelines, focusing on acutely hospitalized children receiving invasive mechanical ventilation for more than 24 hours. Eleven key questions were identified and first prioritized using the Modified Convergence of Opinion on Recommendations and Evidence. A systematic review was conducted for questions that did not meet an a priori threshold of &gt;80% agreement, with Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation methodologies applied to develop the guidelines. The panel evaluated the evidence and drafted and voted on the recommendations. Measurements and Main Results: Three questions related to systematic screening using an extubation readiness testing bundle and a spontaneous breathing trial as part of the bundle met Modified Convergence of Opinion on Recommendations criteria of &gt;80% agreement. For the remaining eight questions, five systematic reviews yielded 12 recommendations related to the methods and duration of spontaneous breathing trials, measures of respiratory muscle strength, assessment of risk of postextubation upper airway obstruction and its prevention, use of postextubation noninvasive respiratory support, and sedation. Most recommendations were conditional and based on low to very low certainty of evidence. Conclusions: This clinical practice guideline provides a conceptual framework with evidence-based recommendations for best practices related to pediatric ventilator liberation.</p

Reticular dysgenesis-associated AK2 protects hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell development from oxidative stress.

Adenylate kinases (AKs) are phosphotransferases that regulate the cellular adenine nucleotide composition and play a critical role in the energy homeostasis of all tissues. The AK2 isoenzyme is expressed in the mitochondrial intermembrane space and is mutated in reticular dysgenesis (RD), a rare form of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) in humans. RD is characterized by a maturation arrest in the myeloid and lymphoid lineages, leading to early onset, recurrent, and overwhelming infections. To gain insight into the pathophysiology of RD, we studied the effects of AK2 deficiency using the zebrafish model and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from fibroblasts of an RD patient. In zebrafish, Ak2 deficiency affected hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) development with increased oxidative stress and apoptosis. AK2-deficient iPSCs recapitulated the characteristic myeloid maturation arrest at the promyelocyte stage and demonstrated an increased AMP/ADP ratio, indicative of an energy-depleted adenine nucleotide profile. Antioxidant treatment rescued the hematopoietic phenotypes in vivo in ak2 mutant zebrafish and restored differentiation of AK2-deficient iPSCs into mature granulocytes. Our results link hematopoietic cell fate in AK2 deficiency to cellular energy depletion and increased oxidative stress. This points to the potential use of antioxidants as a supportive therapeutic modality for patients with RD